Core Dump
by moor
Summary: This area houses multiple, unbeta'd, short chaptered stories. Parody songs too! ABANDONED.
1. Chapter 1

Hello, authoress here: Welcome! This area, called the ever-so-poetic "Core Dump" is where I'll be putting up random scenes that cross through my mind. I don't know if any will be related; they're pretty random as they come to me. (Sorry 'bout that). Good luck & thanks for stopping by!

**Story Title: Save me  
Author: Moor (or 'beyondthemoor' from LJ)  
Length: approx. 1100 words  
Genre: Humour/General/Romance  
Rating: I'll say PG-13 to T  
Fandom: Avatar: The Last Airbender  
Summary: After taking his leave of Azula, Zuko sets out on his own to find his mother. The reunion is short-lived as Katara and Toph track him down in turn, and ask for his help in rescuing Iroh.  
Disclaimer: I have no ownership of "Avatar".  
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Zuko approached the small, single story house set back from the main road. It had a small path leading up through its low gates, all the way to the side yard and around the back to the stables situated in the rear. His golden eyes took in the modest, well-tended garden, the stream that ran through just beyond, and the tree line that bordered the far side of the property. From the outside, it looked like any other single family Earth Kingdom home.

He'd been searching for it for weeks. Weeks of traveling, weeks of talking to strangers and looking for clues, weeks of frustration and disappointment at every failed lead. But this house gave him hope.

He would have passed by it if it hadn't been for the flowers growing out front. He'd recognize those blossoms anywhere. They weren't native to the Earth Kingdom—in fact, they only grew in one place on earth: the Fire Nation palace gardens.

He settled his ostrich-horse by a tree near the side door, and knocked.

He felt his stomach churn as he waited for an answer. When none came, he gentle pushed the door open and stepped inside, swallowing anxiety and bracing himself for what he'd see.

A tidy, clean kitchen; a sitting room with plain furniture off to the side; a few pieces of fruit and some freshly cut herbs laid out on the counter. A closed door, likely to the sleeping quarters, at the far end of the corridor.

And staring at him in open-mouthed shock, with her pine-green tunic-front full of just harvested greens from her garden, was the woman he'd once considered the most beautiful in the world. Her long dark hair was now tinged with gray, her clothes were no longer made of the finest silk, and while she still stood tall, with pride and dignity, she no longer towered over him, but instead came only to his nose. But it was definitely her.

The only woman who'd ever loved him unconditionally.

She dropped the lettuce leaves to the floor, forgotten, and raised a hand towards him as if to see if he were real or some kind of apparition or spectre.

"Zuko…?" she breathed unbelieving.

He felt his heart swell and lodge in his throat, choking him as he took a few hesitant steps forward towards her.

"M…" the word wouldn't leave his mouth. It was afraid to be spoken, and worse, be wrong, again.

"Zuko, my love, is that you?"

_My love…_

"Mom?" he asked hoarsely.

Her golden eyes, mirrors of his, filled with tears and she nodded, slowly opening her arms to welcome him.

He threw his own arms around her and held on as if he'd never let go.

xXx

"Do you think we should bring a gift or something?" asked Katara apprehensively, entering the pleasant street and passing a few flower and fruit vendors. Momo flew above them, occasionally diving down for a closer look at the wares. "We're sort of… visiting."

Toph waved the concern away. "I really don't think anything is going to pacify this guy, Katara. We're just gonna have to take our chances." The younger woman paused. "Is your waterskein full?"

"Of course."

"Then maybe you can make him a pretty ice sculpture!"

Katara glowered at Toph and crossed her arms in front of her.

"What would he be searching for, though?" Katara wondered aloud a few seconds later. Toph kept her thoughts to herself. "He was finally going to return home, to the Fire Nation... And instead he goes off on his own." She shook her musings from her mind as Toph stopped in front of a lovely, if slightly run down cottage. The building itself was clean and well-kept, it just looked like it needed a few repairs to its exterior. From the roadway, Katara could see two figures inside, but couldn't make out much more than that. There was a mount tied near the entranceway.

The gardens winding around the small structure were immaculate, however, and Toph could sense a familiar vibration even from this distance.

Toph pointed at the building. "We should go check in here."

Katara gave her a funny look, fully aware that her friend couldn't receive its meaning. "But the last person we talked to said he was headed a bit further—"

"That's because they were staring at your boobs instead of listening to your question," quipped the younger woman, and Katara's nose wrinkled up in irritation at her friend's crudeness. "Come on, I'm thirsty. I bet they have tea."

xXx

At the self-conscious knock on the door, Zuko looked up from the table where he was sitting across from his mother. Giving her a glance, he asked, "Are you expecting company?"

She smiled and shook her head. "No, but friends drop by. I'll go see who it is."

He held her arm and gestured for her to sit down again. "No, it's ok, I'll get it."

He could hear hushed female bickering from the other side of the door, and rolled his eyes. _Gossipy women_, he thought tiredly, and politely turned the handle to invite in the newcomers.

Katara, an inspiring but fake grin on her face, and Toph, a little sullen beside her, greeted him from the doorstep. Toph waved a lackluster 'hiya'.

"Hi—ice sculpture?" offered Katara quickly, holding up a hastily-fashioned bouquet of ice lilies.

Zuko slammed the door.

"Told you so," he heard the short one say to her colleague.

xXx

Ursa stared at her son, incredulous. "Zuko, what is wrong with you? Were they guests?"  
His face pinched darkly, he growled, "More like pests."

Giving him a disapproving look, the genteel woman stood and walked past him to the door. "That was very rude. I thought I raised you better than that," she said in mild reproach. "You could show them some courtesy, whoever they are, young man."

Zuko wanted to scream in irritation; he couldn't believe his mother, whom he hadn't seen in almost eight years, was lecturing him on bad manners.

"_It's the waterbender and the delinquent!"_ he wanted to shout, but his mother was already at the door, apologizing for his rude behaviour.

"Hi—ice sculpture?" he heard Katara ask again from behind him, less confidently this time.

"Oh, it's lovely!" exclaimed Ursa.

"Argh!" the prince facepalmed himself in irritation; Ursa led the young women inside.

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AN: Oooh, melodrama!  
AN: Posted original 09 June 2007. Written in an hour. Un-beta'd. Behold the searing pain of my raw 'talent'. XD (Enjoy!) 


	2. Chapter 2

AN: **Modern AU.**  
AN: You can probably guess what's happening in this. Warning, potentially darkfic! Some of you already know what spawned this twisted little puppy. Hopefully this'll be the end of it. Just to be clear, as I mentioned in the original story for "Core Dump", these are unrelated scenes in my head. This one has nothing to do with the previous one!

**Series Title: Core Dump**  
**Story Title: Psychopomp** (after the Tea Party song, yes… Love their stuff.)

--mm

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"Who did this?" her voice was level and composed as she addressed the other young woman. The latter sat in an uncomfortable spartan chair at the bedside.

Katara looked over at Sokka and Aang. One was leaning against a counter while the other was staring blankly out the window, respectively. The monitors beeped softly, as if they didn't dare intrude on the somber gathering.

"We think… we _heard_ it was Zuko."  
"But that's not confirmed," interjected Aang slowly, hopelessly. They'd been argueing for hours already. They wouldn't know until they found him, wherever he was.

Toph slowly approached the breathing body laid out under the too-thin blankets on the hospital bed. Though she couldn't see the room, she knew it was dismal. Katara would have remarked on the paint that had been pulled off the walls when 'Get Well' cards for previous patients had been carelessly torn down following a prolonged stay; the curtains were drab and stained; there was a layer of crusty dust on everything near the bed. Not that the cleaning staff weren't doing their job—but the skin was peeling off the patient, layers at a time. They just couldn't keep up with it.

Toph was almost grateful she couldn't 'see' exactly what her old friend had become. She could feel his heartbeat, but couldn't sense any life to him. Nothing to indicate he could even tell they were in the room.

She reached out to touch her old friend on the arm. She nearly threw up.

Katara wanted to reach out to her friend, but knew she'd be pushed away. She was almost grateful Toph couldn't see Iroh's now cloudy, unseeing eyes. It would break Toph's heart to know her friend had been blinded when the assailants had… She couldn't stomach thinking on it any further.

Toph grasped Iroh's hand and held fast as she addressed him.

"Teabag…" _I'll find him. I swear I will. I'll bring him to you. _"I'll make sure I bring your stupid nephew." _And if it was him, I'll make him pay._

An almost moaning sound sighed from the old man's mouth. They'd taken out the intubator tubing, and he was breathing unassisted… but he was unresponsive.  
"The doctors said that that's just the air leaving him as he breathes. He's not actually responding," Katara's voice was compassionate.

Toph turned around, facing the door.  
"I'll be back later. Make sure they don't give him any more Valium. And take him off some of that damn Morphine. He isn't gone."

"Toph…"

"I mean it, Aang. He's not gone." _Yet._

She set her shoulders. "Does Bumi know?" she asked, her voice struggling for normalcy.

Aang nodded, then remembered to speak. "Yeah."

"Good," the confident answer bolstered her nerves. "Have him prepare a team for me. An intimate one—I don't want any noobs on this sortie. And tell him… I'll owe him one, for next time."  
Sokka and Katara looked at each other. Their friend couldn't mean—

"Toph," started the Water Tribesman, "you don't have to, ok? We can handle—"

"NO, you can't," she snapped, nearly shedding a tear as she composed herself again. "This was personal. They did this to hurt us. I'm going to find out what the Hell is going on! And if Zuko did it, then it'll be for him to face up to."

Sokka started to say something, but Katara reached over and touched his arm, shaking her head.

After a moment, Aang, however, swallowed and straightened up. "Mind if I come along?"

"The more the merrier," Toph bit off sarcastically, starting for the door again. Katara had a feeling she'd probably slam it.

"Thanks…" The normally clean-shaven young man rubbed his stubbly scalp idly before he set his features. "I think we'll both owe Bumi one, by the time this is over."

His quiet voice reached Toph's ears, and she did let a tear roll slowly down her cheek at his decision.

"Well hurry up," she said thickly, "we have to get a move on."

Aang followed her out.  
"Take care of yourselves!" called Katara, still in her chair. She wanted to hit something, out of frustration, but didn't dare disturb Iroh… in case he was still there.

"Take care of _them_, too," muttered Sokka darkly, watching them leave.

Aang heard him, however, and looked back at Sokka, meeting his friend's eyes.

Calm, determination, and the promise of hellfire to be delivered on Toph's say-so reflected back at the older man from the gray depths. "Will do, sir."

"With pleasure!" called Toph from the hallway.

With the two younger people gone, Sokka reached down and rubbed his sister's tense back. "You can go home for a bit, you know. We can take shifts. You don't need to stay every day and every night. One of these days you're going to take root. Or decompose." He winced at his poor choice of words. "Sorry, that was—"

To his surprise, Katara laughed softly.

"I hope they're ok," she replied, interrupting him. She leaned forward and gently patted Iroh's cheek. "You hope so, too, I bet."

The monitors beeped on, muffled, but not unnoticed in the quiet room.

Sokka took up Aang's space at the window. To wait.

The waiting was the worst.

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AN: Any crits/comments on this one? 


	3. Chapter 3

**Story Title: Psychopomp (alt. title: "Darkness Falls")  
Chapter: 02  
Author: Moor (or 'beyondthemoor' from LJ)  
Length: approx. 1300 words  
Genre: Dark/Modern AU/General/Wangst  
Rating: I'll say PG-13 to T; may go to M  
Fandom: Avatar: The Last Airbender  
Summary: **Rough sketch scenario: Modern AU; Underground societies; Iroh left the Fire Nation syndicate to join the Avatar Group, but was attacked shortly after his defection. The Avatar Group vow revenge at his bedside; the only clue they have as to who ordered the hit are some rumours claiming Zuko was responsible, but no one knows if it's true. Darkfic; Toph and Aang leave to gather a group of elites from Bumi --their superior-- and hunt down the person or people responsible for Iroh's coma.**  
Disclaimer: I have no ownership of "Avatar".  
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Aang and Toph sat beside each other in the car as their driver wove swiftly and smoothly through the early evening traffic. A light rain occasionally blurred the view from their windows, and they talked in low voices despite the privacy window shielding their conversation from their chauffeur.

"We'll be there soon," said Aang, recognizing the slightly dilapidated buildings they were currently passing. "Do you really think she'd still be at work? I thought they were close, but wouldn't she know by now? Wouldn't she care?"

Toph stared at the ceiling of the vehicle, her face impassive. "They're close. I'm willing to put money on both the fact that she knows Iroh's in bad shape, and also possibly a clue as to who did it. She'll be at her 'day' job. Trust me."

Aang nodded and sat back against the leather seat. Out of all their group, Toph knew Iroh best. He was Katara's second father-figure and shoulder to cry on, Sokka's champion when it came to debating food and strategy, Aang's guide and confidant, but Toph's friend most of all. Out of all of them, she knew the most about what little he'd shared of his past personal life. And his current personal life, too. Out of their entire organization, Toph probably was the best one to handle this sortie—if only she wasn't so personally involved.

They were headed on their way to see one of Iroh's 'closest' personal friends now. Toph knew of her and had met her, but Aang wasn't sure what kind of relationship the two women had. Not that this was the time to be assessing such circumstances. As they rounded a corner, he spotted the old stone-walled warehouse and checked his things, ready to go. They were in the oldest section of town, and one of the more rundown areas; narrow, pot-hole ridden streets; buildings built practically on top of each other; and at least one window or door boarded over per edifice.

As per standard operating procedure, their chauffeur drove around the block, nonchalantly bypassing the building, before returning after a tour of some of the other side streets, gauging the location. To Aang's surprise, the nearest parking lot, which obviously tended the bar's patrons, held a motley fleet of cars including over a half-dozen high end imports. Bikes, tuned vehicles and gremlins were parked haphazardly about, too. He mentally calculated the capacity of the bar based on the potential occupancy of the vehicles – and felt uneasy. He'd been hoping for a quiet hole in the wall. This most certainly wasn't.

The black luxury car pulled slowly to the curb just up from the pub, and parked.

"We're here, sirs," announced the driver through the intercom. What had started as a joke about Toph being addressed as 'Sir' by some new inductees had quickly risen through the ranks in the Avatar Group and become gospel. Everyone addressed her as 'Sir', apart from a few of her oldest friends. On occasion, they did it too –out of sarcasm.

"Thanks, Teo. Do a loop around the block and then come back and park at the rear. Keep the engine running, just in case we start to enjoy ourselves," ordered Toph. They heard Teo chuckle as he nodded, and they exited to stand in front of the seedy bar, 'The Guilt Lily'.

"Isn't the expression supposed to be the 'gilt lily' or 'gilded lily' or something?" asked Aang off-hand, reading the sign above the nondescript doorway; Toph walked ahead of him and shrugged her shoulders. Aang recognized the gesture; Toph was adjusting her weapons. He doubled his sensory alertness. If Toph was actually _checking _her weapons, she was expecting to use them. He followed her lead.

"It's her place; she can do as she pleases."

"Just the answer I was looking for," he mumbled to himself as they entered.

"Relax, Flyboy. I've been here before. We'll be fine," assured Toph, holding open the door for Aang as he followed behind her. "They'll be ready and waiting to welcome us." She walked down a short flight of stairs to the warehouse's basement and turned a sharp corner, meeting another door. It was very quiet. Too quiet for a bar.

Aang's internal alert started firing off warning bells.

"Did you call ahead, Toph?" he asked. Toph had already entered the darkened doorway, and either didn't hear or didn't reply. He reached out for her arm, to keep her close to him as he passed through the door himself. "To let her know we were coming?"  
"She didn't need to, Mr. Aang," said a deep female voice as he exited the other side of the doorway and came to a dead stop.

And faced a wall of gun barrels pointing back at them.

"Welcome to my home, little ones," said Jun with a smirk, and the thugs behind her tightened their grips on their handguns. "You do know it's pay to play here, right?"

Toph handed over a money clip of bills. "I don't know a man –or woman— who wouldn't pay for your patronage, darling," she retorted, and strode past the line of bouncers. "Call off your dogs. We need to talk to you. It'll only take a few minutes. When's your next break?"

"Whenever I want. And for that disrespect, you owe me double."

Toph carelessly tossed another money clip at the hostess. "Whatever. Hurry it up." The blind young woman didn't even bother coming up with another witty riposte, and instead passed effortlessly by the tables filled with patrons from all walks of life, ignoring them all as they ignored her. Or appeared to. No one spoke about who they saw at the 'Guilt Lily'—it was a widely known 'no man's land' where the members of different syndicates could meet on neutral ground. Not that there hadn't been shoot-outs and assassinations within its walls before; but Jun seemed to have garnered a certain respect from society's underbelly, and few dared outwardly challenge her reign. Or perhaps 'out of fear' was a better qualifier…

Jun eyed Toph's back for a moment before turning to Aang. "Follow her, close, and wait. I'll be there in a few minutes. She's going to the private room furthest from the bar. Worst service, best privacy—or so I've been told." She smirked. "But don't get any ideas," she added as he turned away. He looked back at her over his shoulder and immediately felt his stomach bottom out at the meaningful look she gave him. "I'd feel terrible if I were to catch you in the act of something… _confidential_."

Aang wasn't sure if it was a warning, a promise or a threat. But the possibility of the latter settled it.

He looked Jun straight in the eye, and walked back to her, whispering with a polite look on his face and ice in his voice, "Hands off, Jun. I'm here for Iroh… and you are, too, otherwise you would have thrown us out by now. I'll keep this up as long as you, but don't piss off Toph right now. I mean it."

"I think she can handle herself, Tiger," said Jun. Laughing out loud and ordering one of her halter-topped bartenders to bring her a round to the back room, Jun tossed her hair out of her eyes and proceeded to lead the young man to the back.

He only hoped their charade had convinced the spies he knew were tailing them.

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AN: You get a second chap! (BTW, yes my other stories are still on-going… I just needed a short break.)

AN: If it wasn't completely clear in the first chap of this storyline… Kuei (Earth King) heads (officially) the Avatar Group (though the Aang-gang are pretty much top agents). Bumi is Aang/Toph/Katara/Sokka's direct superior (manager, boss, facilitator, etc.). Bumi sees they get what they need and are well-equipped for their missions, both physically and with recon. When Toph said she'd "owe Bumi one", she meant that she would be making use of the Avatar Group's resources for personal means -- not 'business'. So she'd owe him one for allowing her to do this. Aang's going along with Toph since he wants revenge, too. (I'm making the characters older/darker in this fic.) As for who attacked Iroh... well, that's to be discovered. The Avatar Group are a syndicate made up of other, less powerful gangs and triads and tongs who are banding together to try and take down the Fire Nation syndicate…

AN: Does any of this make sense?... Sorry, I'm terrible at writing – apologies!


	4. DF03

**Story Title: Psychopomp (alt. title: "Darkness Falls")  
Chapter: 03  
Author: Moor (or 'beyondthemoor' from LJ)  
Length: approx. 250-300 words  
Genre: Dark/Modern AU/General/Wangst  
Rating: I'll say PG-13 to T; may go to M  
Fandom: Avatar: The Last Airbender  
Summary: **Rough sketch scenario: Modern AU; Underground societies; Iroh left the Fire Nation syndicate to join the Avatar Group, but was attacked shortly after his defection. The Avatar Group vow revenge at his bedside; the only clue they have as to who ordered the hit are some rumours claiming Zuko was responsible, but no one knows if it's true. Darkfic; Toph and Aang leave to gather a group of elites from Bumi --their superior-- and hunt down the person or people responsible for Iroh's coma.**  
Disclaimer: I have no ownership of "Avatar".  
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Sokka rubbed his younger sibling on the back. "Katara," he said softly, not wanting to wake her, but knowing she just may panic at this point if she were to wake up and see everyone gone. "I'm just going to the cafeteria to get us something to eat, ok? I'll be back soon."

Katara looked up from the bed, where she'd been sleeping with her head on her arms, and nodded a bit before falling back asleep again. The nurses had brought them a few more equally thread-bare sheets, and they'd wrapped both Iroh and Katara in them to fend off the chill.

Sokka rubbed his hands over his face before dusting himself off, and exited the private hospital room.

**_sSs_**

"Yeah… yeah… uh huh… sounds good. Good job, Duke. We'll see you soon."

Longshot and Smellerbee looked up from the table where they were comparing notes on some reconnaissance they had finished the night before. "Any news?" the young woman asked with a raspy voice. She needed her first cup of coffee for the day, but otherwise was suffering her fatigue with her usual stoicism.

Jet smiled faintly, but confidently, before snapping shut his cell phone. His expression wavered as he put on a façade of mock-chagrin and turned to his fellow Freedom Fighters. "I'm sorry, Smellerbee…," he began in a thick voice, "a family member is sick in the hospital. I have to go see him, before he goes."

Longshot stared hard at their leader. _You mean?..._

Jet nodded.

"Sounds like the rumours are true. Get your things, pack light. This'll be a quick 'visit'." _To finish him off_, he added mentally.

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AN: This chap is mostly to set up what's about to happen (the real scene in my head that I wanted to write). 


	5. SM02

**Story Title: Save me  
Chapter: 02**

**Author: Moor (or 'beyondthemoor' from LJ)  
Length: approx. 1300 words  
Genre: Humour/General/Romance  
Rating: I'll say PG-13 to T  
Fandom: Avatar: The Last Airbender  
Summary: After taking his leave of Azula, Zuko sets out on his own to find his mother. The reunion is short-lived as Katara and Toph track him down in turn, and ask for his help in rescuing Iroh.  
Disclaimer: I have no ownership of "Avatar".  
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The four benders sat at the worn kitchen table, attempting to hide their discomfort and awkwardness. Zuko stared at his teacup, his back ramrod straight.

"So, you look like you've traveled far," offered Ursa kindly as her guests smiled politely at her.

"Yes, we've been looking for Zuko for a while. We're really sorry to barge in on you like this," apologized Katara sincerely. Toph held her tea quietly, breathing in its warmth.

"Oh, are you friends?" exclaimed Ursa, a smile lighting her face beautifully with hope. She looked at her son proudly and failed to notice Katara's sudden eyebrow twitch and Toph's accidental spurt of tea through her nose.

"We know each other from way back," coughed the earthbender, "yeah. You could say we've been following each other for a while now."

"We came to ask for his help, actually," continued Katara gently, looking at Zuko now. She swallowed. "Prince Zuko, I know you don't have any reason to trust us—," he kept his eyes averted.

"Or we you," quipped Toph under her breath.

"but if you'd at least hear us out—," the dark-skinned young woman pleaded earnestly.

Zuko stood and walked to the water-pump by the kitchen basin, not saying a word. Ursa noted her son's actions quietly, and Katara spoke again.

"—we want to help you get your uncle Iroh back. And we need his help with our mission."

The kitchen was quiet for a moment as Katara sat back in her seat again, and turned to Toph. Toph felt the 'look', and nodded, about to speak, but Ursa interrupted.

"What do you mean, 'get his uncle Iroh _back'_ ? Isn't Iroh in the Fire Nation, retired?" she asked her son in confusion. "After Lu Ten, I thought he'd decided he wasn't going to be in active service anymore. What's happened?" she queried of her two visitors. Zuko faced the window, his back to the women.

Toph felt the vibes coming off the young man loud and clear. And pushed the envelope. "Oh, he just may be in the Fire Nation—_now_," she said meaningfully. Then took a sip of tea. "In chains." She slurped noisily.

Katara picked up on her friend's cue. "You see, Azula hunted us down and came for our friend and Iroh protected us and helped us escape… at his own expense," she couldn't hide the sadness she still felt at his self-sacrifice. She held her cup of untasted tea in her hand; she hadn't realized she'd bended it cold in her nervousness. "Zuko was there. He can tell you."

Ursa saw Zuko's shoulders tense slightly as he washed up some dishes, still pretending to ignore them.

"We want to save Iroh," stated Toph in plain terms. "He's helped us a few times, now – we want to pay him back. And the Dragon of the West shouldn't be rotting in a filthy Fire Nation jail cell, that's for sure."

Ursa was completely confused now.

"In _jail_? But… And you say _Azula_ did this?" She paused, and mentally winced. Toph and Katara didn't miss the flinching look that crossed her face (Toph, of course, is fluent in vibe). "Actually, not that I'm all that surprised about the latter, but still…" She looked at the young man feigning invisibility in a corner of the kitchen, and her expression darkened. "Zuko, you come here right now and explain yourself. Why did you not help your favourite uncle? You love Iroh!"

With his towel tucked into his belt like an apron-- old habits die hard--, Zuko walked stiffly to the table and tried to look his mother in the face. "He betrayed the Fire Nation. Azula is bringing him home to be tried. I left to find you."

Ursa's eyebrow rose in derision. "Oh really?"

Zuko was silent. "And that's all, Zuko?" she prodded. No reply. Briefly, her look softened as she raised a hand to her son's face. "Does this have anything to do with…" her voice trailed off as she met his eyes and nearly touched his scar – but kept her hand a quarter inch from the skin. "Is this recent? Does it still hurt? What happened?" she asked quietly.

Zuko shook his head, but didn't elaborate much. "It healed… about three years ago."

The former Fire Lady's eyes softened. "Was it an accident?"

Katara and Toph listened in interest, though felt uneasy at the obviously intimate family discussion of Zuko's past. But at this, the water tribe girl spoke up.

"It wasn't an accident. Fire Lord Ozai did that to him, his own son."

Ursa's eyes flew open as her head whipped around to stare at Katara. "What are you talking about?" She flipped back to her son, who was studiously observing the floor. "Zuko! What's the meaning of this? Your uncle's arrested, your father burned and disfigured you, Azula's gone batshit insane and hunts family for sport—," the wheels in the older woman's head were turning at frightening speed. Her warm, golden eyes narrowed to pools of molten flame when she next spoke. Katara and Toph felt the change, and their hope took on wings.

"So you've come to ask Zuko for help, to get Iroh back?"

"Yes, ma'am," replied Toph. Katara held her breath.

"And you aren't just going to the Fire Nation for a quick jaunt; you have something planned, don't you?"

Toph didn't hesitate. "No ma'am; yes ma'am."

Ursa nodded curtly at each answer. "Do you plan on taking the Fire Lord down?"

Toph smiled… and had the Fire Lord been present, he would have felt a chill shimmy up his spine. "Yes ma'am. By any and all means possibly and necessary. Even some unnecessary ones, if I can." Ursa's eyes glinted when she saw Toph smirk.

"Well, get in line." The Fire Lady stood, setting her shoulders proudly—and fiercely. "Zuko, get your bags—we're going to see your father. Daddy did a bad, bad thing," she said evenly.

From her spot at the table, Katara raised her hand slightly. "Uh, just to be clear, are we…?"

"Oh, I'm sorry! Of course, we're coming with you to help you!" gushed Ursa, replying on her son's behalf. Zuko growled, but didn't dare contradict her. "And I can't wait to meet your friends, if they're half as polite as you two girls are. Tell me, how many of you are there?"

"Oh, just three of us: my brother, Sokka, and the Earth King, Kuei," explained Katara pleasantly as they packed their meager belongings back into their traveling bags.

"The… Earth King?..." asked Ursa hesitantly, pausing as she loaded some food into a rucksack. "You're traveling with the Earth King?"

"Oh, he's really nice!" added Toph. "And he has a really fun bear called Bosco."

"Ah, I see… Sokka, Kuei, and Bosco. Lovely. Do I need to bring money for transportation?" Zuko's mother was already mentally calculating how much she should bring for food, supplies, travel, medical expenses, and regular laundry service.

"Money's always good, but don't worry, we have Appa for transport," assured Katara.

"Appa?"

"Aang's flying bison!"

"Aang's flying bison?" Toph noticed the woman's uncertainty gaining momentum. "Who's Aang?"

"Aang's the Avatar. I call him Twinkle Toes. He's the last airbender, and he rides a flying bison, called Appa."

Ursa looked at her son.

"Your father sent your sociopath sister out to hunt down the _Avatar_?" she asked incredulously. "What in spirit's name possessed him to…" She rubbed her head at the mounting tension. "I can't believe he did that. I can't help but think this is some kind of strange joke. Sending Azula after the Avatar, really—what, did he think she'd actually succeed?"

"Of course not!" blazed Zuko defiantly. "He sent _me_ after he burned me in Agni Kai for speaking out in the war room when I tried to protect a troop of new recruits from being slaughtered on the front lines!"

Silence.

Then…

The gracious, loving, motherly woman lost all reason at that new development. She threw down her bag. There was smoke rising from her fists.

"Oh, that _does it_! Zuko, quit packing my things; girls, get your stuff right now. _We're going to take back the Fire Nation!_"

"And, uh, Iroh?" interjected the Water Tribe girl carefully. A Fire Lady in full fury was quite an impressive sight to behold. A tad alarming, too.

"Don't worry, Katara, he'll want in on this, too," assured Ursa as she collected her money.

"Not quite the answer I was looking for, but let's go with it," said Katara diplomatically as she clasped her hands in front of her in a cheering gesture. It helped hide how hard her hands were trembling, too. With a forced smile that conveyed none of the depths of her currently very disturbed concerns, she and Toph waited by the door.

"I think I like her," said Toph cheerfully to her friend.

Katara gave her friend a bland, appraising look. "You _would_…"

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AN: 'Ursa' can mean 'bear'. What happens to a mama bear when someone attacks her cub?... Let me reword that -- what happens to the poor sap who hurts a baby bear?... 


	6. DF04

**Story Title: Psychopomp (alt. title: "Darkness Falls")  
Chapter: 04  
Author: Moor (or 'beyondthemoor' from LJ)  
Length: approx. 1303 words  
Genre: Dark/Modern AU/General/Wangst  
Rating: I'll say M for language and violence  
Fandom: Avatar: The Last Airbender  
Summary: **Rough sketch scenario: Modern AU; Underground societies; Iroh left the Fire Nation syndicate to join the Avatar Group, but was attacked shortly after his defection. The Avatar Group vow revenge at his bedside; the only clue they have as to who ordered the hit are some rumours claiming Zuko was responsible, but no one knows if it's true. Darkfic; Toph and Aang leave to gather a group of elites from Bumi --their superior-- and hunt down the person or people responsible for Iroh's coma.  
**AN:** In case it wasn't obvious, the chars in this story are a bit older than in the show.  
**AN: WARNING! LANGUAGE AND VIOLENCE IN THIS CHAPTER.  
Disclaimer: I have no ownership of "Avatar".  
**

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"So you're too busy to help us?" Aang asked Jun, feeling slightly incredulous but hiding it well. He had long since forgotten the drink the bar matron had provided him. Toph hadn't even acknowledged hers when it was set in front of her at the small, elegant table. The room was quite posh, for all its grungy surroundings in the rundown bar. Definitely a room for more intimate, controlled meetings. This was definitely controlled. 

"Times are hard; the business is all I have. Iroh's a dear... _friend_, but I just don't have anything to offer. Sorry," said Jun. She crossed her arms lazily in front of her. "The past few nights, all I've done is work myself to the bone, right to left, top to bottom. It's hard to be the woman in charge, you know. All those people to please, I don't know how I do it."

Aang didn't believe a word of it, could feel Toph getting more and more impatient during the non-exchange with the barkeep.

"We're so sorry to disturb you; we'll call again if we need anything," _you selfish, lying sycophant,_ he spoke politely and added the last bit only in his mind, bowing slightly to their hostess as he stood.

"Leaving so soon? I'm so sorry to see you go... I hope you enjoyed yourselves, and good luck to you and old Fat Man," smiled Jun; she was practically smirking. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have other appointments to keep."

"_Yeah, right,"_ muttered the blind girl. She spoke louder. "Gee, thanks so much, Jun. Be sure to let us know if you hear anything—if you aren't too _busy_," snapped Toph, kicking angrily away from the table and not waiting to be escorted by one of their 'attendants'. She didn't bother reaching across to bow to Jun or shake her hand. Her sarcastic mutterings that followed as she stomped to the door reached the other woman's ears, however.

"Care to share that with everyone, Brat?" asked Jun, her eyes narrowing to slits at Toph's demonstration of disrespect. Jun still leaned back in her chair but her expression was souring.

"Care to actually offer any information, Cougar-face? Oh, wait, you don't know anything, my mistake."

Aang winced internally. This was not going to end well. He scanned the room for its exits again and mentally plotted out the most efficient escape routes and contingency options. He obviously didn't dare provoke the thugs Jun kept nearby by checking his piece; but he did collect his phone from the table and informed Teo they'd likely see him soon.

To Teo's credit, he didn't sigh (or laugh), but instead simply gave an obedient, "yessir." Finally, something Aang wanted to hear that night.

"You're pushing the limits of my hospitality—did your parents raise you to be so rude?" acid dripped from the older woman's words as her features hardened and her shoulders tightened. She still looked relaxed, but Aang knew body language enough to recognize the 'springing panther' signs rippling beneath Jun's surface.

"At least my parents raised me to be something more than a money-hungry--."

"Toph," he mumbled, sensing her intention and trying to hustle her in the opposite direction.

"—debauched—"

"I mean it, come on." Warning lights flashed behind his eyes. He saw the grunts working the doors alter their stances minutely in preparation to react to an attack. He had threatened Jun to watch herself when they'd first arrived, but had obviously underestimated Toph's personal stake in the mission. Greatly.

"—manipulative whor-!"

"_Toph! That's enough!"_  
But Jun had already shot to her feet, her chair clattering to the floor behind her.

"Get. Out. Now." She spoke softly and slowly, each syllable promising immeasurable punishment should they dare ignore her. Her pale cheeks held two furious spots of colour, and her long dark hair cut a swath of rich black silk across her naked shoulders, reminding Aang of demon's wings.

"Miss Jun, please believe me, Toph is just very upset right now, she didn't mean to say—!"

"The Hell I didn't!"

"Mister Aang, you've abused my patience long enough. If you won't use your headstart for your own benefit, I will for mine."

Toph kicked the door open, ignoring Jun and her thugs. "Whatever. Come on, Aang."

The young man, in the hopes of salvaging some vestige of honour from this failed encounter, tried one last time to appeal to their hostess's sensitivities. "Miss Jun, I sincerely apologize for my associate's behaviour and on behalf of the Avatar Group wish you the greatest success with your establishment, and understand her statements are admittedly wrong and personal and made under extenuating circumstances. Please don't kill us, I'm sure we can work this—."

The warning shot convinced him time would be a better peacemaking than negotiation. As he ducked behind a pillar, the volley of bullets that followed thereafter reminded him to never turn his back on the loyal bar patrons of a woman scorned. He bit off a curse as one bullet ricocheted off the doorway and passed through his arm. Toph practically flew around him as she sent off a few rounds to distract them, managing to pick off some of the less-attentive dogs. This just enraged the rest of the not un-armed crowd in the main area of the bar. The sounds of chairs scraping across the floor and guns clicking as they were being loaded seeped down the halls.

"There's a fight!"

"What's going on?"

"Is it Fire Nation?"

"You lookin' at me?"

"What's your problem?"

"Nothing, you got a problem?"

"I think you can go--."

"Screw 'em, get ready."

"Don't take any shit from them!"

"I don't care who it is – just get the fucker who--!"

As more people joined into the fray, the gunfire doubled, then tripled; pieces of the walls, structures and furniture exploded when struck from the lead projectiles; 'innocent' bystanders fell, bleeding and swearing and retaliating; rivalries long dormant or dead flared and rose to confuse the battle ground further. Through it all, Jun's men chased the two members of the Avatar Group. The screaming, yelling, and gun shots created an unholy cacophony of street war, complete with smoke-ridden battle ground due to the firearms discharging wildly; the smell of blood, alcohol and smoke made it a thousand fold worse. The bar was nearly impossible to navigate in the ensuing Hell.

Panting and sweating from the sudden rise in heat, Aang and Toph charged down the hall and made a dash for the rear exit.

_BLAM!_ Another piece of plaster erupted from the wall, the dust blinding Aang for a split second, losing track of Toph. He swore at the annoying distraction, and rubbed his irritated eyes. He kept running.

"You ok, Twinkle Toes?" he heard Toph ask from his left. He nodded, then remembered to give a verbal reply.

"Yeah, just keep going! I'm right beside you!"

"Don't give away our position or anything, dumbass..." Aang almost smirked at Toph's ability to joke while under fire. He ducked and let her go ahead, while he covered for them. He darted out again and zigzagged across the hallway to avoid the onslaught of firearms discharging in his direction.

He didn't notice until a moment later, as he raced out of the building's rear service doors, that Toph was no longer with him, or anywhere in sight.

"Toph?" he yelled, heart sinking and spinning to look in all directions. The alley was pitch black, and the noise from the bar muffled any indication of human movement nearby. _"Toph!"_

There was no reply.

**_  
_**

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**AN: **The more you guys tell me what you like/don't like, the easier it is on me to shape it... BTW, the next chap's almost ready to go! 


	7. DF05

**Story Title: Psychopomp (alt. title: "Darkness Falls")  
Chapter: 05  
Author: Moor (or 'beyondthemoor' from LJ)  
Length: approx. 1300 words  
Genre: Dark/Modern AU/General/Wangst  
Rating: I'll say M  
Fandom: Avatar: The Last Airbender  
Summary: **Rough sketch scenario: Modern AU; Underground societies; Iroh left the Fire Nation syndicate to join the Avatar Group, but was attacked shortly after his defection. The Avatar Group vow revenge at his bedside; the only clue they have as to who ordered the hit are some rumours claiming Zuko was responsible, but no one knows if it's true. Darkfic; Toph and Aang leave to gather a group of elites from Bumi --their superior-- and hunt down the person or people responsible for Iroh's coma.**  
Disclaimer: I have no ownership of "Avatar".  
**

* * *

**  
**

Jet approached the door of the hospital room.

The Duke had sent the guards outside the doorway on a wild goose chase after Sokka, claiming the young man had heard news about Zuko's whereabouts; Longshot and Smellerbee took up the sentries' vacated spots and stayed just outside the doorway, as planned, to give Jet 'privacy' with his 'grandfather'. The nurses had been quite sympathetic and after a cursory ID check had directed straight to Iroh's bedside. He'd thanked and blessed their kind souls. When he left he intended to send them a ThankYou card for their assistance and a job well done. The irony made him smirk to himself. He couldn't have asked for a better welcome.

He stepped inside and pulled the door to a hair's crack, sealing himself from the outer hallway.

"Hello, old man," he said softly, in case there were any medical personnel close enough to overhear. "Just thought I'd stop in and say 'hi'." The only reply came from the air hissing from Iroh's labouring breaths as his torso rose and fell with each effort. Jet almost pitied the former Dragon. Underneath his horrifying burns, the old man's features were still recognizably Fire Nation, though. Jet wasn't distracted by the dismal settings even an iota. He'd seen rooms like this plenty of times in the past.

He sidled up to the room's two occupants; the small cubicle held only himself, the patient, and a young woman who was fast asleep. Her dark hair was spread out across her shoulders and on the blanket, and her back rose and fell with the easy rhythm of sleep, similar to that of the old man she rested beside, but far less shuddering. Had it not been for the setting, there would have been something almost innocent, idyllic in the scene. A child and guardian after a full day's activity, perhaps; sickeningly heartwarming. Now, though, their positions were just an indicator of gravity, illness and desperate hope.

The Freedom Fighter shook his shaggy hair from his eyes and pulled a small knife free from his back waistband. He kept up his soft monologue to throw off any potential visitors who may stumble upon him in process...

"I don't mean to disturb you, so I'll just let you sleep." His heartbeat ramped up a notch before settling when he reached Katara. His expression softened minutely. _Long time no see, Beautiful._ _Long time…_

Pushing the memories aside, he slid behind her and smirked, tempted to put a blanket on her shoulders. It would be the height of humiliation for the Avatar Group – and the Fire Nation – if he were to do away with their high profile convert while his guardian was literally sleeping on the job, at his side. He smiled to himself, finally grinning openly and savouring the irony as the possible future directions and repercussions for the warring factions surfaced in his mind. The insult, the devastation, the loss of 'face' would strike at the heart of their organizations and put a significant crack in each company's stability and reputation. He'd be cutting off their honour almost at its head; one of the Fire Nation's former leaders, and most recognizable traitor, and one of the Avatar Group's most respected advisors and guide. He might lead both groups to capitulation with this single strike. He'd finally have vengeance on the 'Nation for its bloody rampages, and on the Avatar Group for their lack of initiative. All thanks to this one old sack of practically-dead-already bones.

He patted Iroh's shoulder under the thin covers, and paused when Katara stirred momentarily. He watched her eyebrows furrow slightly, then smooth again. _Missed that, haven't you, Jet? _his inner voice whispered in the back of his mind._ Well, she'll need another shoulder to cry on after this one, too._ Jet turned away from the lovely face.

"You've done a lot for me, more than I can ever thank you for," said Jet, more to himself this time, once Katara quieted again. He turned to face some of the tubing that snaked across Iroh's body and connected him to various fluid bags, machines, and diagnostic tools. His shoes crunched lightly on the crumbling flakes of skin that had fallen to the floor. Air hissed from Iroh's parched throat through his chapped lips as his chest rose and fell. "So why don't you let go and have a nice… long… sleep.."

His hand arced gracefully, expertly in the air, stabbed down and made connection.

He slit Iroh's slim air hose, followed quickly by a few of the liquid-carrying tubes and jammed the weapon's blade into their connection ports in the machines' panels; he damaged them just enough to prevent anyone from attaching anything further to them in the future. They'd be unusable for saving the old man's life once the alarms started going off.

"Time for me to go now. 'Bye old man." He leaned over to Iroh's ear and whispered, "I'll be back for her later…" Open, clouded eyes stared at Jet, unseeing as the young man straightened up. He couldn't look away from the glassy orbs.

Almost hypnotized, the stalwart gangleader fought a mild panicky sensation in his heart. He ignored the cumbersome feeling that the sightless eyes had evoked in him. Regardless of his efforts, he felt his spine creep a bit; it still felt like someone was watching him. He was right.

"Stay right there and don't move," came a slow, icy voice from his left.

Jet's eyebrows shot up, then dipped into a frown. He felt the gun barrel dig into his temple when he tried to turn towards the speaker.

Katara's fingers tightened on the trigger, and she held the gun steady.

"I just told you to freeze. Now you can stop and listen, or you can take a permanent seat on the short bus to Hell." Her oceanic eyes were cold and held nothing but conviction.

All Jet could see was blue—but not the blue of her eyes in the dim hospital room light. No, this was the blue of her eyes shining with unshed tears while they huddled together under a warehouse fire escape at dawn, the morning after a raid gone so very, very wrong.

_Jet himself had planned the raid. _

"_It's a half-dozen thugs, not their real muscle. They must be testing the waters to see if they can hustle their way in without needing a boss present to make arrangements."_

_Katara nodded at Jet's words. They'd become close during their gangs' rapprochement, much to Sokka's irritation. They'd been a devastatingly coordinated team, though.  
"Got it. Ok, we'll settle this at nightfall…" Jet had loved the determined look on her face when she'd said those words. Their complicity reflected their complete trust in each other; she'd known Jet had done a great job preparing their assault on the 'Nation intruders. She didn't even question his motives when he made a few small changes last-minute, just nodded and said she understood._

Jet had given her a quick kiss and they'd separated and set off.

_He'd also planned the double-cross that had backfired and nearly killed them both, and both their parties. All to try and take out a rogue Fire Nation band that had started moving into his old 'backyard'. He hadn't done it to protect those around him; he'd done it for the glory of possibly expelling a few FN thugs. _

All the wrong reasons; all the more reason to get it right this time.

And here she was again.

_Long time, indeed_, he thought.

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AN: Thanks for reading! 


	8. DF06

**Story Title: Psychopomp (alt. title: "Darkness Falls")  
Chapter: 06  
Author: Moor (or 'beyondthemoor' from LJ)  
Length: approx. 1500 words  
Genre: Dark/Modern AU/General/Wangst  
Rating: I'll say M  
Fandom: Avatar: The Last Airbender  
Summary: **Rough sketch scenario: Modern AU; Underground societies; Iroh left the Fire Nation syndicate to join the Avatar Group, but was attacked shortly after his defection. The Avatar Group vow revenge at his bedside; the only clue they have as to who ordered the hit are some rumours claiming Zuko was responsible, but no one knows if it's true. Darkfic; Toph and Aang leave to gather a group of elites from Bumi --their superior-- and hunt down the person or people responsible for Iroh's coma.**  
Disclaimer: I have no ownership of "Avatar".  
**

* * *

**  
**

Sokka finished his third sandwich and brushed his hands off with satisfaction, his stomach gratefully acknowledging with a gurgle its attention after so many hours of neglect. Hunger, sustenance, and normalcy; he'd definitely needed them and their resultant distraction. Just an hour or so away from that awful room already made him feel better – in some ways, at least. More human, in a manner of speaking. Being around other people who weren't living corpses was also helping his demeanor, he thought as he looked around the faces of the other patrons in the hospital 'lunch' room.

He refused the urge to squeeze his eyes shut to blot out the image that sprang to mind: of Iroh's body lying on the hospital bed several floors away from the skeleton-staffed sandwich counter where he currently sat. A few other tables were occupied, some by night-shift nurses, others by family or attendants of one sort or another. He even saw a young kid in a helmet-styled hat a few seats away, playing with a hand-held gaming system of some sort. The sound of electronic-gunfire and background music floated over from the youngster, making Sokka wonder if the kid's parents knew what kinds of games their son was playing.

Must be waiting for the rest of his family to finish visiting someone, thought Sokka to himself in some sympathy.

He turned his head away from the child. The smells in the cafeteria were different from those in the patients' rooms, and they were a welcome change; when he'd arrived in the eatery, the aroma of food had initially nauseated him but after the first few forced bites his body had mercifully, thankfully overruled its emotional stronghold over him. When he'd finished polishing off some more fruit and another cup of coffee, he'd called Bumi to let him know nothing had changed in Iroh's status. From Bumi's end, there was no news of Zuko. Nothing to report. No one had a damn clue where Zuko was.

End of transmission.

For the hundredth time, Sokka reviewed the facts he'd been briefed on: Iroh had at one time been next in line to become Lord of the Fire Nation syndicate; he had abdicated in favour of his younger brother shortly after losing his only son in an ambush. Recently, something had happened (no one knew the specifics, unfortunately) between he and his nephew and he'd made the decision to part ways from the syndicate entirely. As Zuko had been the next heir, and the 'family' member closest to his uncle, his own fealty to the 'Nation had been brought into question when his uncle departed. It had then fallen to the young man to bring Iroh back – dead or alive; to prove his allegiance, and to stake his claim on his birthright.

Shortly after Zuko's order for a 'living' bounty went out on his uncle, Iroh had suffered the attack. No one had seen Zuko since the order was issued.

For all they knew, he was hiding, laying low. That wasn't entirely surprising, thought Sokka, assuming Zuko was the guilty party. It was a big step, a shift in the 'Nation hierarchy. Fire Nationers usually took immediate action and vied for the power and glory that accompanied take downs like that of a high-ranking defector like Iroh—but it was also sometimes the catalyst to an internal power struggle, with each faction trying to take out the latest individual who'd stepped forward to don the mantle of leadership. One coup begot another. Fire Nationers traditionally swarmed for the glory and challenge… Then again, he hadn't succeeded -- yet. Perhaps he was just waiting for Iroh to be… Still, it was a bit unusual Zuko hadn't come forward yet to receive at least the accolades that he was due for nearly silencing his uncle.

This was the only sticking point in Sokka's mind; he couldn't figure out why Zuko was being so quiet. It rankled him.

The annoying music from the kid's handheld videogame hummed on, behind him, not that Sokka noticed it much, too wrapped up was he in his own conspiracy-related thoughts. Electronic machine-gun fire _rat-a-tat-tatted_ and boomed, followed by rapid typing and beeping. The kid was entirely engrossed in his four-square-inch screen.

Why? Why, why, why?... Sokka stared into his coffee cup. Why was he so quiet? Where was he? What was he doing, not finishing the job? There hadn't even been a peep from the 'Nation outside Iroh's hospital room door – and not just because the former Dragon was under heavy protection from the Avatar Group. Why wasn't Zuko issueing new orders? Taking a more active role in the retrieval? Rallying his supporters to prepare his ascension? What was keeping him from taking over as his father's 'right hand man' now that his uncle was out of the way? Why were things so… quiet?

_What if it hadn't been Zuko?_ That's why.

The ugly notion reared its head not for the first time, irritating Sokka and forcing him to follow the unwanted train of thought. If it hadn't been Zuko, why wasn't the 'prince' raising Hell on the streets threatening fire and brimstone in retaliation against the person who had dared attack his uncle instead of bringing him in for 'Nation inquisition; who'd taken away his duty and responsibility as clan heir? Zuko's position of power had been questioned before; his hold on his birthright as future leader of the clan was unstable; that someone had dared intrude on his chance at redeeming himself, had deliberately made an attempt on Iroh's life instead of trying to apprehend him as Zuko had ordered, that in and of itself was a slant against the impetuous, hot-headed young leader-to-be. And yet, no one had heard a peep from him since the take-down order was issued. Or from anyone else, either.  
Nothing made sense.

Sokka glanced at his watch and decided to pick up some more food for Katara before returning to her at Iroh's bedside. He grabbed a few of the better-looking specimens of sandwich-kind from the counter and handed bills over to the clerk, before walking to the elevators. He was still lost in thought, stuck on the motivations or reasons why someone may try to set Zuko up – but still manage to keep him quiet while they did it. Who had the power to do so? What was their goal? Was he just overthinking the whole situation? And how did poor old Iroh end up in the middle of such a horrible clan war?

_It's a way of life; every one of us signed up for it_, the Watertribesman reminded himself, pushing a button in the wall to summon the elevator. _But still…_ This is Iroh. He wasn't overly chummy with the gentleman, but he had some respect for him, 'Nation or not.

The elevator 'dinged' and doors opened. Sokka stepped inside, vaguely noticing the kid with the handheld gaming system had disappeared. Sokka realized he hadn't even noticed the family come collect the youngster. The elevator rumbled to a start. _Wow, I'm losing it if I didn't notice a kid with a noisy gaming system take off with his whole family,_ he chided himself. He resolved to increase his vigilance, and reminded himself he shouldn't treat the hospital like a safehouse.

Still, the thought recurred: _Why have none of us heard anything about Zuko?_

He didn't get the chance to pursue the thoughts any further, though, as an alarm rang out over the PA system to have all security personnel report to the ICU to attend to a confirmed report of exchanged gunfire.

"Katara," he said softly. He jammed the buttons on the elevator panel in an effort to make it go faster. "Just hold out 'til I get there, I'm coming… I'm coming, I swear I'm coming… Come ON, _damnit_!" He smashed his fist against the doddering old control panel. It buzzed back at him angrily, and a few buttons blinked on and off in warning.

"Don't take that tone with me!" he yelled at the flashing buttons. Strangely enough, the buttons calmed down and the elevator did speed up.

"That's more like it."

As he approached the the ICU, he heard the first faint thumps and pangs of gunfire ricocheting around, muffled by the walls and floors of the elevator.

/to be continued…

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/AN: Comments and criticisms are always appreciated, and thank you for reading!


	9. DF07

**Story Title: Psychopomp (alt. title: "Darkness Falls")  
Chapter: 07  
Author: Moor (or 'beyondthemoor' from LJ)  
Length: approx. 1000 words  
Genre: Dark/Modern AU/General/Wangst  
Rating: I'll say M  
Fandom: Avatar: The Last Airbender  
Summary: **Rough sketch scenario: Modern AU; Underground societies; Iroh left the Fire Nation syndicate to join the Avatar Group, but was attacked shortly after his defection. The Avatar Group vow revenge at his bedside; the only clue they have as to who ordered the hit are some rumours claiming Zuko was responsible, but no one knows if it's true. Darkfic; Toph and Aang leave to gather a group of elites from Bumi --their superior-- and hunt down the person or people responsible for Iroh's coma.**  
Disclaimer: I have no ownership of "Avatar".  
**

* * *

**  
**

A few shots rained onto the car, some embedding themselves in the roof and door. The double-plated armoured vehicle was stronger than the barrage, though. So far.

"Teo, what happened?" Aang jumped into the car as it wove drunkenly across the alley.

"Couple of Fire Nation guys got a lucky shot when I got out to move a bum off the street. Figured nobody'd be paying attention and he'd get hit if we were in a rush later," grunted the driver, struggling to keep the car straight. "Where's Toph? I thought you two were still together?"

Aang could see Teo clutching his wounded shoulder, the shirtsleeve darkening by the minute. "We got separated. Slow down a sec, I'm coming over."

"You got separated?" Teo looked at Aang, incredulous. "You left her?"

Aang ignored his tone and pushed Teo across into the passenger seat, taking over in front of the wheel. "Take care of your arm, Teo."

"You left Toph behind?"

"There are bandages in the first aid kit in the glove compartment – keep pressure on it, wouldja!"

"Aang, what's wrong with you?"

"Listen to me; would you hurry up? We're going back for her right now but I need you to be ready to drive again once we get there!"

The car went silent as Teo stared at Aang's tense, set face. Aang kept his eyes on the alleys and streets they darted in and out of, clenching the wheel in a death grip and staying alert to any sign of an ambush or trap. He refused to abandon his friends, despite their orders to leave the fallen behind. They were going to be killed if they went back for her, if not by the gangs at the bar then by their superiors if and when they found out. Aang always had been the sentimental one in the group.

Teo nodded slowly and immediately grabbed the kit with the hand from his good arm.

"You're not revving the engine enough when you're shifting," he muttered to Aang as he attended his wound. "I'm gonna need a new gearbox by the time you're done with it." The fact that the car was full of bullet-holes was politely left outside the current conversation. He grunted in pain as he pulled the bandage knot tight with his teeth. He moved a few spare guns aside in the glove compartment before replacing the kit.

"Take care of your arm before you bleed to death first," teased Aang after a moment, a grim smile pulling at the corners of his mouth. He was glad Teo wasn't bailing when he needed him. "Then you can be the nanniest back-seat-driver you want."

Teo chuckled. "You know what Toph would say if she were—." The words were out of his mouth before he realized his gaff.

Aang smiled at Teo's slip up, but sadly this time. "Yeah… _'Man up, nancy-boys.'_ Then she'd say something about straightening our doilies."

Teo looked from his friend's face to the familiar-looking alleyways and straightened up, back to business. "We're almost there. Take a left, the next two rights, and we'll be less than 25 seconds from their doorstop."

"Front or back?"

"Back."

"I wanna go in the front."

Bypassing the 'are you crazy?' argument, Teo immediately opened the glove compartment again and started double-checking the ammunition on every gun he could reach, as fast as his injured arm allowed.

"You know, I'd expect this from Sokka, but I'd kind of thought better of you," he said not unkindly. _Ka-chunk ka-chunk ka-chunk_, went the guns as he loaded their magazines. He bit off a curse as Aang swerved too late to avoid a pothole, and his shoulder bumped painfully into the seat. "Fuck! Oy, _loaded weapons_ here! Watch it!"

"Oops, sorry," Aang looked (sincerely penitent) at Teo to see if he'd done much damage.

"Eyes on the fucking road!" yelled the normally-calm young man. "Seriously, Aang, geez…"

"Right, sorry! Here we go!" Aang pulled a hard left and they counted down the turns. The man who normally drove issued his altered directions to Aang to guide them to the _Lily_'s front entrance instead of the rear.

Teo strapped on his night-vision goggles and prepared to take the wheel from Aang. As he did so, Aang put on a similar pair and was driving with one hand while strapping a gun to his arm.  
"Teo," started Aang in his usual optimistic voice. His colleague glanced over at him. "Don't get out of the car this time."

"But--."

"Keep the engine going; but if we aren't back out in four and a half minutes, get out, ok?"

Silence fell between them again.  
"That's an order," Aang's voice hardened. "They already have reinforcements coming – we'll be lucky if they aren't there already. If things get too hot before the time's up, you get out of there. I'll call you and tell you where to pick us up."

"You're going in the front door!" The dark-haired young man pleaded with his friend to listen to reason.

"Exactly!"

Teo stared at Aang. They turned the final corner and both spotted the _Lily_.

Aang smiled deviously.

_10…9…8…_

"What did Bumi always tell us?" he asked, slapping a last gun to his belt, his hand on the door handle.

_7…6…5…_

The resigned chauffeur smiled back comprehending, if not Bumi, then at least Aang's logic in following Bumi's batshit philosophies. He personally wasn't as devoted to the specifics of their crackpot leader's 'teachings', since he was from a nomadic tribe, like Aang – but this really wasn't the time for debate.

"Think like a crazy mofo," he replied with some humour.

_4…3…2…_

"And dance like you just don't care," finished Aang. Even without the goggles, Teo would have been able to see Aang's usual big, cheesy grin.

_1._

He didn't even wait for the car to stop before he leapt out the passenger door and dashed through the stairwells and doorways, taking cover where he could. The darkness gave some cover, too, as Aang avoided the street lamps.

As soon as the first of Aang's feet hit the cracked pavement, Teo slammed the car into reverse, hauled up on the emergency brake, and gave it some gas, turning the wheel expertly and swinging the car around so his driver's seat window faced the front of the building. The tires squealed and sent up smoke as the move burned their rubber, and distracted the rival gangs who'd been shooting at Aang as he'd emerged from the car. He drew their fire, taking some of the heat off the bald young man who darted through. He knew Aang hated using his weapon, and avoided it whenever he could manage without it.

Wishing his friend luck, Teo pulled tricks and occasionally shot back at the gang flies to keep them busy. The car lurched and shuddered as the assault, and game of cat & mouse, continued.

He glanced at the clock. Two minutes had passed already.

"Bumi, if we make it through this," he said to himself through clenched teeth, "I'm gonna punch you for telling Aang that."

TBC...

* * *

/AN: Thanks for reading!  
/AN: I'm also open to suggestions on what you do or don't want to see in this... Shorter chaps are easier to complete, and this is still a test-fic of sorts. 


	10. DF08

**Story Title: Psychopomp (alt. title: "Darkness Falls")  
Chapter: 08  
Author: Moor (or 'beyondthemoor' from LJ)  
Length: approx. 1600 words  
Genre: Dark/Modern AU/General/Wangst  
Rating: I'll say M  
Fandom: Avatar: The Last Airbender  
Summary: **Rough sketch scenario: Modern AU; Underground societies; Iroh left the Fire Nation syndicate to join the Avatar Group, but was attacked shortly after his defection. The Avatar Group vow revenge at his bedside; the only clue they have as to who ordered the hit are some rumours claiming Zuko was responsible, but no one knows if it's true. Darkfic; Toph and Aang leave to gather a group of elites from Bumi --their superior-- and hunt down the person or people responsible for Iroh's coma.**  
Disclaimer: I have no ownership of "Avatar".  
**

* * *

**  
**

"How polite, they're welcoming us."

Azula crossed her arms in front of her patiently and surveyed the corridor of the hospital's ICU wing while shots occasionally perforated her appraisal. She gave a wave of her hand; her bodyguards and thugs moved forward towards their target.

"Remember, bring the old man back alive, if you can," said the golden-eyed woman as they advanced. "Though you're welcome to help yourselves to anything else you come across."

The coordinated group issued a collective murmur of understanding, plodding on.

Inside Iroh's room, things weren't much better.

Longshot and Smellerbee had retreated into the doorway to defend their position, and hadn't been reassured when they'd noted Katara's gun at their leader's temple.

"Katara, I swear, I didn't bring them here!" Jet's voice insisted patiently. He still hadn't moved and was getting increasingly uncomfortable from his bent-over position and proximity to Iroh. Katara had kicked out the back of his legs and forced him to his knees when she'd heard the gunfire outside the room. She kept her barrel trained on his shaggy dark hair the entire time.

"Any other last words?"

"Not to interrupt," interrupted Smellerbee, "but we could really use some direction up here."  
_There are at least ten Fire Nation guys out there, and they're not newbies_, put in Longshot. _They're getting closer and coming in whether we like it or not._

"And that woman is leading them."

For the first time in what felt like an eternity to Jet, Katara's focus moved away from him. "What woman?" she asked instantly.

"Dark hair, pulled back, gold eyes, obviously used to being in charge, looks ruthless—."

"Azula," the name resonated like a curse as it left Katara's mouth.

"Sounds like it," added Jet.

Katara looked disdainfully at her quarry one last time before releasing her hold on her gun slightly. It was all the nod Jet needed. He sent a quick, unreadable look at Katara's stormy blue eyes before joining his fellow Freedom Fighters at the door.

"Ok, new plan, guys," he said, his quick mind already resorting their priorities. "First job: we need to get out of here. Alive."

"Something a bit more specific would be appreciated," grumbled Smellerbee. "You said 'pack light', remember. We aren't exactly in a good offensive position right now." She spoke softly, unsure if Katara was included in their brainstorming session.

Oh yeah. Shit, he thought to himself.

Katara watched them like a hawk. A very desperate hawk that's first priority wasn't her own safety, but her weakened charge's.

He looked over at his lovely former colleague. "I don't suppose you have an assault rifle handy?"

She glared at him darkly. All the better to kill you with, my dear…

"Or three?" he asked, hoping to pique her desperation with charm. He could see she was warring with herself. He didn't know if she had any weapons with her at all, but reasoned it would be stupid of her fellow Avatar Group friends to have left her alone with no means of at least self-defence. Weapons to engage in a full-frontal assault were obviously out of the question as they'd have been nearly impossible to get past the nurses due to their size, and besides, it was a small room, there really weren't many places to hide weapons anyway. Jet was now looking around the room for anything he'd be able to use as an explosive, if it really came down to it, to blow away the front lines of the oncoming street soldiers. Really, though, how could they have left Katara with no means of defending herself except that handgun, he thought to himself. She was good, but she could really have used a few--.

"… Under the bench cushion. It's hollow."

"What?" He couldn't believe what he'd just heard. Jet looked at the Water Tribe girl and she met his gaze levelly.

"The bench is hollow. Look under the cushion – and hurry. Pass me a few rounds, too, along with the semi-automatic." She ordered, and he obeyed.

"If you even think of aiming one of these at Iroh, or me, you'll be dead before you know it," she added, receiving the firearm he'd pulled from the modified piece of furniture.

He was already talking to his subordinates and distributing the well-maintained weapons to them.

"Longshot, you're our sniper, you know what to do. Smellerbee, you and I will cover him, got it? For now, aim for the thugs, one at a time. If you get a clear shot at her Highness, take it. If we can take her out, it may be enough distraction to disrupt their ranks and give us the break to get out of here." He almost swallowed at what he'd just said, and looked back at Katara.

She was on the phone, calling for reinforcements from someone called 'Bumi'. She hadn't heard his last words and didn't know he was planning on leaving her to fight on her own as soon as he could. For a moment, he felt very, very cowardly. But only for a moment.

"No, they're not back yet," he heard her say in a calm tone. "If they were, I would have… Yes… Yes… Understood."

For the third time, blue eyes met brown.

"Well?" Jet asked.

"Well what?" she replied, snapping the phone shut. Longshot and Smellerbee were already in position.

"Care to join us for old times' sake?"

Katara was pulling the blankets off Iroh and wrapping him in her jacket as best she could. She'd even started discarding the tubes and wires he'd ruined earlier, unplugging machines expertly so they made less noise to alert the outer invaders to their plans. She knew exactly what buttons to push and lines to pull to keep Iroh stable, but practically ready to be mobile. Like Jet, she was obviously planning on abandoning their current location at the first opportunity, too. He wondered if she'd received new orders during her call, and if so, what they were.

"I'll be right there."

"Then you'll be beside me." He felt a warmth stir within him when he said it. It didn't diminish when she glared back at him in reply.

Then, something changed and she smiled beautifully. He felt hope, reached for her to help her get into position…

"Don't get shot," her tone was ebullient and false.

"It'd be more reassuring if you were less sarcastic when you said that…" he muttered, feigning hurt.

Meanwhile, Longshot had already taken out a thug and moved on to the next target. Another man fell. Smellerbee sent out some distraction shots. She nicked a man off to the side; Longshot finished the job.

Katara finished her preparations and joined them, weapon raised.

"Welcome back," said Jet smoothly.

Katara ignored him, too preoccupied with what was at stake, and praying her brother and friends were ok.

"Three, no, four down," noted Katara aloud after a quick appraisal. "Good job, Longshot. Don't bother keeping 'em non-lethal."

_Yes ma'am._

"You know, Kat, later on--," started Jet.  
"I promise we'll finish our fight."

"No, that wasn't what I--."

Smellerbee took out another one.  
"Nice BeeBee, we're almost equally matched with them now," praised the Water Tribeswoman, using her old nickname for her former friend. Smellerbee nodded.

Katara continued ignoring Jet. She paused a moment in thought. "Not to knock your skills, you two," she said slowly, "but they're going down pretty quick. Are you sure there are only ten? Are these guys are elites or …?"

Smellerbee and Longshot kept their focus and nodded, but Jet glanced at her. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw past her and noticed a flicker of movement outside the window.

_SHIT._

Snatching her weapon away from her so she wouldn't accidentally –or perhaps, deliberately—shoot him for what he was about to do, he shoved Katara to the ground and unleashed a volley of shots straight out the glass panes. The window crashed down and shattered all over the floor inside the room and over the sill; there were a few yells from the intruders as they fell down the walls outside. Jet rushed over to the sill and checked for any other potential threats from the exterior of the hospital. Katara was already in a defensive, crouched stance and had his weapon raised—at him. He wasn't surprised, but he did feel she was being just a little too ungrateful.

"Clear, as far as I can tell," he internally cursed the darkness for cloaking the assailants. "Ok, I'm taking up this spot for now. Katara, you backup Longerbee."

Cursing her former lover's methods meanwhile, it was Katara's turn to listen & obey. She was mad at herself for nearly missing the rear attack.

_What is with me? Why is he distracting me so much I can't even decipher this stupid plan?_

She still couldn't discern with any certainty if Jet and Azula's groups were in cahoots. She let out a deep, slow breath the more she thought about it. It wasn't entirely impossible.

From a logical point of view, she knew Jet would never team up with the Fire Nation—again. She didn't know as much about Azula, however, or whether she could have tricked Jet. She didn't think they were connected, but couldn't shake the feeling that something just wasn't right (admittedly, on a global level, gang-related fights within the confines of a hospital ward were definitely on the far side of 'wrong' as it was…); that there was something obvious missing from the whole scenario. Everything felt almost… military in its mis-execution and precision. The failing frontal assault still seemed like a decoy to her, despite Azula being there. And attacking from outside a window?... Since when did gangs engage in tactics like that, especially in a place as public as a hospital?

She wished she had her friends with her to help her make the connection she knew she was missing. This was more Sokka and Aang's thing.

_Where are you guys? I need you here_, she thought to herself. She started to feel the first tendrils of panic thread up and down her spine. She did not like this, not at all. She gave a quick glance over at Iroh, and mentally sent a prayer to Tui and La for assistance in any form. Anytime, guys, she thought to herself, I'm ready for you to show up and start helping again anytime…

Outside the door, Azula smirked confidently; she and her henchmen were less than a few yards away. They continued closing the gap.

* * *

AN: Thanks for reading!

AN: After just finishing "Twilight" and "New Moon"... I'm so tempted to turn this into a vampire fic, hahaha:) 


	11. DF09

**Story Title: Psychopomp (alt. title: "Darkness Falls")  
Chapter: 09  
Author: Moor (or 'beyondthemoor' from LJ)  
Length: approx. 700 words  
Genre: Dark/Modern AU/General/Wangst  
Rating: I'll say M  
Fandom: Avatar: The Last Airbender  
Summary: **Rough sketch scenario: Modern AU; Underground societies; Iroh left the Fire Nation syndicate to join the Avatar Group, but was attacked shortly after his defection. The Avatar Group vow revenge at his bedside; the only clue they have as to who ordered the hit are some rumours claiming Zuko was responsible, but no one knows if it's true. Darkfic; Toph and Aang leave to gather a group of elites from Bumi --their superior-- and hunt down the person or people responsible for Iroh's coma.**  
Disclaimer: I have no ownership of "Avatar".**

Toph was the Avatar Group's sniper—and she was the best at her job.

Amidst the up-ended furniture in a room hazy with smoke, she waited, crouched and silent. She counted their footsteps as they rushed towards her.

_Closer. Closer. Closer…_

She held her gun ready, the silencer already screwed on tight.

_Closer. Closer, closer…_

They charged into the room where she hid, and they paused.

_Closer, closer, closer…_

They stepped into position, and she knew they were looking around for her. She listened as the soles of their shoes moved slowly over the floors—until they hit the uneven piece of concrete and tripped, giving away their position.

_Stop._

She fired, twice, and they fell.

The spies lay dying, and she waited for the next batch to come find her.

It wasn't long before she heard another set of footsteps rushing around – and recognized them immediately.

Convinced there was no other threat to herself in her immediate vicinity, Toph abandoned her stake-out position and followed the sound of Aang's determined gait, surprised there was a distinct note of anxiety to his normally light footfalls.

_Did he really think I'd fall that easily in a skirmish like this?_

"Toph!" he exclaimed, trying to keep his voice down but his relief and excitement at finding her unharmed overwhelmed the effort. She felt his warm arms surround her and clamp onto her like a vice grip, embracing her so quickly they knocked the wind out of her.

"I can't shoot when you're restraining me, Aang."

"You're ok!"

"You won't be if I can't get my arms up soon—there are three guys coming around that left corner in half a minute."

"I'm so ha--."

"--_Dead_, let go!"

She shook him off and shoved him away, firing first one shot, a distraction, then three more to take out the newcomers. The bounty hunters fell in a heap, still scrambling at each other as they tried to pursue the pair.

Aang was looking at her, she could tell; and for once she was glad she couldn't read his expression.

"Let's go."

She headed towards the exit, grabbing Aang's sticky shirtfront as she passed by him. _"Now."_

He was silent as they hurried through the corridors towards the front doors again. He could hear more than one car out front now, as they reached the main hallway. Toph had picked off their obstacles as they'd made their way back down the halls; crossing this battleground, the front room, to the front door would be a piece of cake in comparison, as everyone else was already fighting their own enemy and ignoring them.

"There they are!"

Or not. More shouts rang out as they were discovered.

"Geez, do they never," she unloaded a shot, "ever," another, "smarten," and another, "up?!"

She sounded almost insulted they were still coming at her; she had cleared a respectable path in front of herself, regardless. Normally she thrived on their stupidity and enthusiasm to leap in front of the business end of her barrel; she didn't like how Aang had felt when she'd grabbed him, though. And he was being too quiet now. All she wanted right now was to get him out of there.

"Move it or lose it, cannon fodder!" she yelled at another thug who'd stumbled into her path. She rammed her gun into his nose, to reinforce the sincerity of her polite request.

He quickly stumbled away.

Aang tugged her in the direction of the stairway that led up and out of the subterranean tavern. He knew they weren't going to escape the crosshairs of _that_ gauntlet unscathed. He felt like a rabbit in open season – but the hunters were both inside and outside his burrow.

"Get ready," he said, quietly, holding onto her hand tightly. He wound his fingers through hers to solidify their grip. She felt the change in his body language as he braced himself for the onslaught.

"Race ya?" she asked, squeezing his hand back in challenge.

"Just make sure you get to the car this time, _please_," he retorted, and they made a wild dash out the door and up the stairs.

* * *

AN: Thank you for reading! 


	12. SM03

**Story Title: Save me  
Chapter: 03  
Author: Moor (or 'beyondthemoor' from LJ)  
Length: approx. 1300 words  
Genre: Humour/General/Romance  
Rating: I'll say PG-13 to T  
Fandom: Avatar: The Last Airbender  
Summary: After taking his leave of Azula, Zuko sets out on his own to find his mother. The reunion is short-lived as Katara and Toph track him down in turn, and ask for his help in rescuing Iroh. However, no one is prepared when Ursa takes charge…  
Disclaimer: I have no ownership of "Avatar".  
**

* * *

**EARTH KINGDOM  
**

"I just don't think it's a good idea!" insisted Sokka to his sister, observing the pair of fire benders with a hesitant, skeptical eye.

Katara, Toph, Ursa, and a reluctant Zuko had returned to the clearing to meet up with him, Kuei, Aang, and their respective Animal Kingdom comrades.

"Sokka, it's going to be fine – better than fine! Now we have someone with us that Zuko _has_ to listen to! Did you ever think of that?"

Obviously, he hadn't. A light of recognition flickered on in the water tribesman's eyes, and a new era of opportunity dawned on him. A slow smile spread across his face.

"Sokka, I don't like that look…" warned Katara darkly, knowing he was brewing something awful behind his expression.

"Welcome to Team Avatar!" cheered Sokka warmly as he ran over to Ursa and threw his arms around the stately woman.

"Oh, uh, hello there…" Katara heard Ursa reply; the former Fire Lady sounded surprised at the force of his embrace.

"Ugh," Katara face-palmed herself as frustration and embarrassment warred within herself for dominance.

In the near-distance, Katara was sure she heard growling; a quick glance at the pets confirmed it was not one of them; a quick glance in the other direction, however, confirmed it was the ex-pat prince.

* * *

_(Later on; passing through a village to get supplies...)_

"Now, does anyone need anything else before we leave?" asked Ursa as she surveyed the list and the pile of acquired parcels. Having an actual adult with them, and a parent at that, had sped up their usual procurement run exponentially. Even their potty-break had been more organized.

They all shook their heads, and answered to the negative with "no ma'am", "nu-uh", and "did we get enough snacks?"

She glanced up from the list to look over the rag-tag group in case she was missing something in their body language… And then realized they truly did look like a rag-tag group: Their clothes were patched, worn, and re-patched over the patches; their shoes (for those who wore them) were in desperate need of re-soling; and everyone looked like they'd grown at least a few sizes since their last trip to the tailor. Zuko's attire stood out as the best of the bunch, but even his traveling cloak had seen better days by now.

Eyebrows dipping together pensively, Ursa did a quick tally in her head of their current funds before nodding to herself.

"Yes, there should be enough," she mumbled to no one in particular.

"Uh… Mrs… Um… Zuko's mom? Did we forget anything?" asked Aang, unsure if she was addressing him.

"Yes. Where's the nearest clothing shop?"

"Two streets, take a left, third store on the right," replied Katara instantly. There was a glow in her lovely blue eyes.

Sokka and Zuko looked at her in surprise, then with suspicion.

"What?" She shrugged off their speculative glares. "They were having a sale, I just took a quick peek—."

"Lead the way, Katara," smiled Ursa, interrupting the young woman's defensive apology.

"Ok…"

* * *

_(some time later still...)_

"I guess it was a good idea to get some Fire Nation-style clothes now, so we can blend in easier when we get there," said Aang, eyeing his new outfit. "How does it look?"

"Like you've got a _'Go Ozai!'_ cheer ready and you're willing to use it," retorted Sokka. He preferred his old blue robes, but Ursa had confiscated them. He wasn't adapting well to the red. He really did like his new matching belt, shoes, and bag, though.

Toph, meanwhile, couldn't care less – as long as she had a headband to keep her hair out of her eyes, she was good to go and didn't give a flying cabbage what colour it was. She had accepted the shoes Ursa had offered as a gesture of goodwill, but stuffed them in Aang's bag while no one was looking. She didn't want to hurt Ursa's feelings. She really wanted to keep their latest female companion around, actually. Watching her torture Zuko was better entertainment than anything she could pay for.

"Zuko, honey, how does the underwear fit? Do you need a bigger pair?"

"It's fine, mom," the prince's good manners didn't conceal his gut-wrenching desire to chew glass, and it was obvious he was speaking through teeth clenched very, very hard.

"Are you sure? Do you need a smaller pair? I'm just guessing by what your father used to wear, and--."

"I don't need any more clothes. We're done. Let's go." He paused, amended. "Please."

"Ok, but I just want you to try on these trousers, and let me see you in this shirt…"

The teenager was forced to endure a few more rounds of 'try it on and let me see it first' fun (for the rest of the Aang Gang), much to Toph and Sokka's amusement. Katara held her head in sympathy for both Zuko and his mother. (She had decided to interpret the surprise shopping spree as a gift from the gods, not a criticism on her resourceful mending skills.) She could only imagine how awkward this was for both Zuko and Ursa. Well, maybe more the former than the latter. Aang had gotten bored and wandered off.

In the meantime, Kuei was choosing a new hat for Bosco a few aisles away. "This one would look nice on you," she heard the Earth King say to his favourite pet. Bosco growled positively, and Kuei took the hat down from the shelf to put it in their creaking shopping cart. It looked like it needed to be reinforced, and bulged at the sides.

Cringing, Katara turned her attention back to the mother-and-son fashion parade from Hell. Awkward, yes, but she begrudgingly admitted it was pretty funny to see Zuko, prince of the Fire Nation and heir to the throne, being treated like an incompetent child.

Suddenly, there was a faint cracking noise from the change room, a stifled hiss of pain, and then silence.

"Katara," Ursa's kind, smiling face peeked around the corner to the rest of the group as they sat in the waiting area (said group trying unsuccessfully to keep a straight face), "would you mind coming to help? I think Zuko just cracked a tooth."

Nodding and heaving a small sigh, the water bender uncorked her canteen and went to evaluate the patient.

"Pay up, Toph," gloated Sokka, raising his hand. Toph batted it away.

"It's not over 'til Katara gives the verdict, money-bags."

* * *

_(that night, flying towards the Fire Nation...)_

"You were so right about this bag, Sokka, it _is_ really nice."

Sokka grumbled something bitter under his breath as Toph baited and teased him, eating the snacks he'd tucked away in his bag for himself--she'd gotten custody at the time of the bag-exchange; Kuei, Aang and Ursa discussed polite subjects like the best way to infiltrate heavily-guarded Fire Nation palaces; and Katara continued healing Zuko's jaw and providing him with ice packs for the pain of his multiple cracked teeth.

"How's the left side feeling?" she inquired compassionately. She could tell he was in pain.

He glared at her as if it was all her fault.

"Ok, I'll take that as a 'still not better yet'," she answered her own question, and dipped her hand into some fresh water to carry back to his injured face again. His gold eyes stared off into the distance, avoiding her.

"Hey Zuko, you want any nuts?" asked Toph brightly.

He glared at her as if it was all her fault.

"Oops, sorry, that was really inconsiderate of me, wasn't it?" the earthbender's voice sounded almost penitent. Until she laughed out loud, tossed some nuts into the air and caught them in her mouth, spitting the shells off the side of Appa's litter a _crunch-crunch_ later.

Katara heard snarling. She didn't bother looking to see if it was the animals this time…

* * *

AN: Been wanting to write that underpants scene for a while... XD Hope you liked this one, thanks for reading! 


	13. DF10

**Story Title: Psychopomp (alt. title: "Darkness Falls")  
Chapter: 10  
Author: Moor (or 'beyondthemoor' from LJ)  
Length: approx. less than 500 words  
Genre: Dark/Modern AU/General/Wangst  
Rating: I'll say M  
Fandom: Avatar: The Last Airbender  
Summary: **Rough sketch scenario: Modern AU; Underground societies; Iroh left the Fire Nation syndicate to join the Avatar Group, but was attacked shortly after his defection. The Avatar Group vow revenge at his bedside; the only clue they have as to who ordered the hit are some rumours claiming Zuko was responsible, but no one knows if it's true. Darkfic; Toph and Aang leave to gather a group of elites from Bumi --their superior-- and hunt down the person or people responsible for Iroh's coma.**  
Disclaimer: I have no ownership of "Avatar".  
**

* * *

For some reason, Sokka couldn't block out the elevator music as it rumbled to Iroh's floor. It replayed through his head as the doors opened and he leapt out. He dived to the side and rolled to a stop behind a nurse-station desk, just as a half-dozen bullets lodged themselves in the metal doors that had just closed behind him, exactly where his head had been.

"Hi," he said jovially to the wide-eyed medical staff huddled there on the scuffed laminate floor with him. Security obviously hadn't arrived yet, he noted thankfully.

The captives stared at the cocked gun in his hands.

He glanced up at the weapon. "Oh, don't worry, I have a bigger one," he said reassuringly, and completely misinterpreted their concern.

He poked his head around the desk and noted the break in the gun fire. He raised himself to a crouched position before bolting off again. "Well, nice meeting you all. Bye!"

He disappeared around the desk noiselessly.

"So he has a bigger one, does he?" said nurse-uniformed Mai in a dead-pan tone, glancing at her equally-disguised colleague.

"I wonder if Azula would let me keep him?" mused Ty Lee dreamily. One of the doctors shifted behind her—she struck him in the side of the head without a backward glance, and he slumped down, unconscious again.

"Who cares? He isn't the one we're waiting for, anyway." Mai settled into her 'scared nurse hostage' position again behind the desk, though the look on her face belied her true status: boredom, not terror. Around her, the true hostages shrank away and held themselves quiet, stricken with fear. She couldn't wait to be rid of the shapeless nursing scrubs.

"Not the one Azula's waiting for, no…" agreed Ty Lee. She refused to be deterred too long, however. "He moved nicely."

Mai smirked. "Yeah, he did run away pretty fast."

Ty Lee smiled brightly at Mai. "And that _was_ a great rear view."

* * *

AN: Thanks for reading! (Sorry, yes, this was a small, measly chap! More coming!)  
AN: (Chapter posted 08 Sept 2007.)  
AN: PS: Yes, you will find out what music was playing… it'll be important in a later chap… :)


	14. DF11

**Story Title: Psychopomp (alt. title: "Darkness Falls")  
Chapter: 11  
Author: Moor (or 'beyondthemoor' from LJ)  
Length: approx. 1700 words  
Genre: Dark/Modern AU/General/Wangst  
Rating: I'll say M  
Fandom: Avatar: The Last Airbender  
Summary: **Rough sketch scenario: Modern AU; Underground societies; Iroh left the Fire Nation syndicate to join the Avatar Group, but was attacked shortly after his defection. The Avatar Group vow revenge at his bedside; the only clue they have as to who ordered the hit are some rumours claiming Zuko was responsible, but no one knows if it's true. Darkfic; Toph and Aang leave to gather a group of elites from Bumi --their superior-- and hunt down the person or people responsible for Iroh's coma.**  
Disclaimer: I have no ownership of "Avatar".  
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Running like mad animals, Aang and Toph had finally gotten outside the entranceway of the _Guilt Lily_.

They zig-zagged between the overturned garbage bins, fallen gangfighters, and other obstacles as best they could as they tried to outrun the gun fire that followed—and anticipated—their every move, and slowly but surely progressed to Teo's awaiting security. Between the firearms and the car engines, as there were multiple vehicles battling outside now trying to pick up their comrades, the noise was enough to unsettle even Toph's keen focus and senses, and Aang had already been suffering from his wounded shoulder, further slowing them down. It was only a matter of time before it happened, and it did happen.

Aang fell.

Toph had been rushing to the next heap of wreckage and was just a few yards from Teo's demon-like vehicle, and if she hadn't been listening so hard to keep track of her friend, she would have lost him among the fallen. She skidded to a stop and took cover.  
"Aang?"

She heard him grunt in pain and try to stand again, but slump at the effort, hissing something unintelligible between his clenched teeth. He couldn't have been more than a dozen feet behind her—and was now giving her cover instead of trying to get up again. It made her seethe with anger at the realization.

"It's ok, Toph, hurry up! You're almost there! GET IN THE CAR!"

"You stupid idiot!" she hollered back at him in accusation, already making her decision. If he could do it, so could she.

She turned around, ducked out of the way of another cross-fire exchange, and sprang towards him, running as fast as she could. She was not leaving him behind. She would never leave him behind.

"Like hell you're getting all the fun and glory," she spat indignantly, reaching him. He was angry at her; she could tell that much before even touching him to determine where he was wounded.

"I thought I told you--."

"Yadda, yadda, yadda, I heard you right the first time," she wrapped his arm around her shoulder and stood up to a level crouch. "Can you put any weight on that leg?" His subsequent stumble—and grunt of pain-- was all the answer she needed. "Ok, change of plans. Hop on."

"This is so embarrassing…" muttered Aang, as he grudgingly climbed on her back.

"Don't worry, I'll never let you forget. Or live it down."

"Wow, _that's_ a relief."

"You're welcome. Hold on tight." He did, wrapping his roughened hands around her neck and clamping his legs around her koala-style, despite his injury. He even dropped his head to her shoulder, to reduce their target size. While he was taller than she was, she was more than strong enough to carry him. It would just take her a bit more planning to get them both to the car's doors intact.

Gripping him as tightly as she could, she counted the shots, calculated the distance to the car, and tried to figure out where her biggest obstacles were. Then she took off again, running straight to the car. As she dodged, a few shots grazed by her foot, her shoulder, and nearly her ear. She clenched her teeth and ran harder. "A bit of help with covering us both right now would be a good thing," she said through grit teeth, tease-pestering her free-loader to earn his keep. Her friend didn't respond to the challenge.

"Aang?"

He was silent.

She reached the car and Teo hurled open the door; she threw Aang in the back, and hopped in beside him, slamming the door shut as fast as she could. Still wearing his goggles, Teo was already gunning the engine and spiriting them away, at least two other vehicles in close pursuit.

"Welcome back, sirs."

"Hospital, Teo, now."

Teo glanced at her in the rearview mirror, though Toph didn't know it. "What's wrong?"

"He's bleeding out," she said, running her hands over Aang as thoroughly as she could to find out just how many times he'd been hit and tried to hide it from her to get her out of the terrible situation she'd partially started. "He's hit in the shoulder, the leg… twice. I think he may be hit somewhere else, too, but I can't get a good grip on him." Her hands slid uselessly over him due to the slickness from his blood, and she was losing her patience at her inability to determine how best to help him. She fought her own panic down and kept looking for entrance and exit marks on his clothes.

The engine snarled and growled as Teo pushed the car even harder. "We got a call from Bumi while you and Aang were in there," his voice revealed nothing. Toph's shoulders stiffened anyway—Bumi's calls were unpredictable, but he rarely interrupted a mission. "They were taken by surprise… the 'Nation's at the hospital. Katara's with Iroh, but Sokka had just left to get some food, and the door-guards were--."

"I get it." Katara was alone. She was surrounded.

"Jet's with her." Teo's voice had a cold, quiet edge.

"WHAT?" With Toph temporarily losing her grip on Aang's torso, the young man slid half-off the bench seat and groaned in pain, semi-conscious. She turned back to him, pushing him back into as comfortable a position as she could. She gently straightened his head and neck, and noted he was wetter around his hairline—but she couldn't find a wound. He was also getting cold. He was sweating and losing blood, then. Not a good sign.

"Hold on," Teo swung the car around on a hard right, throwing Toph into her 'patient', and leaving Aang groaning again. "He's gonna be mad at me for this," grumbled Teo, thinking aloud of what Aang's reaction would be later, and wondering if his friend would consider it him being vindictive for their earlier drive around town to fetch Toph. "Jet and two other Freedom Fighters are with Katara. It looks like they're fending off the 'Nation right now, but Katara didn't know who's side they're on."

"I don't suppose you have any _good_ news?"

"Katara had the room stocked with weapons before she let Sokka leave."

This led Toph to pause mid-stream in her thoughts. One of her eyebrows rose.  
"And Jet's with her?"

"Yes sir."

"Psht, not for long," and for the first time in over an hour, Toph smirked.

At that, Teo smiled a bit, too, and the blind young woman could hear it in his voice when he next spoke.

"So, still to the hospital?"

"Yeah—we need Katara here now," she agreed thoughtfully, and used her sleeve to wipe away some more of the sweat that had beaded on Aang's brow.

"Pass me the first aid kit at the next light," and her voice held authority and compassion as she strapped a pair of seatbelts across Aang to keep him in place and leaned across the front seats with her arm outstretched. It seemed they'd slowed down; she assumed they'd lost the twin tails that had followed them from the _Guilt Lily_.

She got to work tying as many tourniquets as she could, and elevated his limbs with the help of the handles above the car's windows.

"How are you doing for gas?" Toph was reloading her weapons as she spoke, and doing the same for as many of the car's back-up weapons as she could. Her hands were a sticky mess, despite having tried to clean them with the sterilized wipes, and it hampered her ability and efficiency at the usually easy task. She ignored the irreparable damage they'd probably done to the car's upholstery by that time, what with the blood and all. She could tell by the noise coming off the car it was full of bullet holes on the outside – it might as well look like a horror room on the inside…

"We have limited options," stated the driver. Everything he saw on the dashboard display was in tints of red, however he could still read the gauge clearly.

"How limited?"

"I can stop on the way there, or I can try and make it from the hospital to a safe-house. But we can't afford another round of chase-and-shake-'em before hitting our closest lock-down."

"Do we have anyone on us now?"

Teo glanced at the rearview mirror, and then to the side mirrors. "We did until about three streets ago… I haven't seen them since then. I want to say we shook 'em, or that they gave up, but…"

"But you aren't sure?"

"We can give it the old college try!"

"Your car's riddled like a piece of swiss cheese, your best friend's unconscious from blood loss behind you, and you want to play roulette with our luck tonight. Did I cover everything?"

"… sorry, sir, I—."

To his surprise, Toph clapped the back of his seat in encouragement.

"Now you're thinking like Bumi!"

"… thank you, sir…?"

"Stop in at the next station you find – fill up as fast as you can in 5 minutes. I'll call Bumi and tell him to prep a team to distract the 'Nation while we go in for retrieval at the ICU."

"You aren't supposed to use a cellphone while I'm filling up at a gas station."  
"Man up, nancy-pants, or do I need to come up there and straighten your doilie?"

Teo relaxed and almost leaned back in his seat—but he stayed vigilant, just in case they were still being pursued.

"Glad to have you back, sir."

Toph smirked a bit, and laid a hand across Aang's forehead. She wanted to hear him say those words to her, not Teo.

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AN: Thanks for reading! (Sorry, another rushed chap, wasn't it?)


	15. DF12

**Story Title: Psychopomp (alt. title: "Darkness Falls")  
Chapter: 12  
Author: Moor (or 'beyondthemoor' from LJ)  
Length: approx. 800 words  
Genre: Dark/Modern AU/General/Wangst  
Rating: I'll say M  
Fandom: Avatar: The Last Airbender  
Summary:** Rough sketch scenario: Modern AU; Underground societies; Iroh left the Fire Nation syndicate to join the Avatar Group, but was attacked shortly after his defection. The Avatar Group vow revenge at his bedside; the only clue they have as to who ordered the hit are some rumours claiming Zuko was responsible, but no one knows if it's true. Darkfic; Toph and Aang leave to gather a group of elites from Bumi --their superior-- and hunt down the person or people responsible for Iroh's coma.  
**Disclaimer: I have no ownership of "Avatar".  
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_And then the action started…_

"You have everything you need?"

"Yep, and it even matches." She held up her weapons, identical. "Aren't you proud of me, Teo?"

"I'll wait here with Aang. The rest are on their way. Just run straight for us once you get out of there."

"Piece of cake."

"Break a leg."

"Are you limiting me? 'Cuz I heard there were a lot of Fire Nation up in there." As the corners of her mouth turned up, her smile glowed in the darkened car interior and reassured Teo she was all business for the rest of the job. Bumi already had more cars on the way for them; Katara knew to expect some 'help'; they just hoped Sokka was close enough to pick up on what was happening to wing it.

"See you soon."

A perfunctory slam of the car door later and she was off in a proud march up to the front doors of the hospital.

* * *

Katara stumbled backwards a step with a small cry before biting down hard to control herself. Smellerbee glanced up in concern.

"Y'ok?"

Katara nodded, tears stinging her eyes, and leaned against the doorway, trying and failing to ignore the wounds in her leg and shoulder.

"Just a few minutes more; they'll be here soon."

"Get over here and watch the window; I'll take the door," Jet ordered, noticing her distress and moving swiftly to take Katara's spot. Apart from some cuts from the glass window shattering, he was untouched. Smellerbee and Longshot didn't even have flesh wounds. Somehow she seemed to have turned into the bullet-magnet. Or the most careless. She preferred to attribute her newfound blood-vents to the bad luck that always seemed to follow her when Jet was around, though.

"I'm fine."

"I'm not disagreeing with you there," he grinned at her. "But you're bleeding all over Longerbee. That's very inconsiderate of you," he said in mock courtesy.

"Shut up, Jet." She promptly went back to ignoring him. If she couldn't ignore the pain in her limbs, she'd just ignore the pain in the ass.

After considering his options a moment, Jet sighed and picked the stubborn young woman up and moved her to a seat away from the door, tossing her some medical supplies from an opened cabinet opposite Iroh's bed. Iroh didn't object. The young man's movements were confident, careless, and exact, and left no room for argument—not that Katara could really risk yelling at him for the time being. He took up her position at the door, but divided his attention between his current and former spots.

"The sooner you're patched up, the better."

While Katara wrapped her leg as quickly as she could, Jet couldn't resist tossing out one last jab. "You can thank me… later."

Her replying expression clearly expressed that yes, she'd cheerfully murder him at the first opportunity.

Before she could retort, however, there were sounds of a scuffle outside the hospital room door. Katara tied the bandage quickly and hurried to listen, nearly pushing Jet out of the way.

"What's going on?"

"Looks like we have company."

"Who said you could bring firearms into a hospital?" Sokka's indignant voice rang out clearly in the hallway and all shots ceased for a moment. Then he peppered the Fire Nationers with 'friendly fire'.

"Get him now, and bring him to me. Dead or alive." Katara had never known such fury as when she heard Azula's cold voice issue the order. Her heart dropped into her stomach and her face went tight, cold.

Without thinking, she grabbed Jet's gun from him and took aim at the other woman's head, every instinct in her bent on protecting her brother. _Not Sokka, not Sokka, not Sokka…_

"Tch tch tch," a second young woman's bossy voice called out, and it must have been aimed at Azula. "Didn't your momma ever tell you you shouldn't pick fights with people-- _who are better than you?_"

Katara's tight frown relaxed, and she released a chuckle… She grinned.

Toph had arrived.

* * *

Despite his best efforts, and even while he created a distraction that allowed Toph her chance to join the fight, Sokka _still_ couldn't get the elevator music out of his head.

He may have been the only one who had his own personal background music to the battle that ensued.

_Damn that kid in the cafeteria and his gaming system – this was all his fault…  
_

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AN: Thanks for reading!  
AN: Any guesses on what the music will be?... ;) 


	16. Bender Power

**Fandom: Crossover ("Avatar" and… you'll get it. If you're old-skool enough. ;) )  
Title: B-E-N-D-E-R Power  
Genre: Parody, humour  
Type: Terrible poetry  
Disclaimers: I couldn't get all the themes to match up, so I admit it's a bit inconsistent in places. I own neither the source material, nor anything other than Merch. (I do, however, still possess the cassette tape this song is from. 9****th**** birthday, baby, and still playing!)**

**AN: This is what several days of fever brings me to. Eeesh…  
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"**B-E-N-D-E-R Power"**

B-E-N-D-E-R power  
B-E-N-D-E-R power  
B-E-N-D-E-R power  
Teenage Master Ninja Benders

On Appa's back, they´re the heroes four  
In this day and age who can ask for more  
Avatar's gone, disappeared, mysterious  
Water Tribes & Earth Kingdom are furious  
'Cause they can´t fight the source  
Of this lethally evil force  
This is serious so give me some hope  
I was a witness, at the end of my rope  
Call Avatar Aang in on this case and you better hurry up  
There´s no time to waste  
We need help like quick on the double  
Have pity on the city, Ba Sing Se is in trouble  
We need heroes like the old Dragon, when Iroh came pronto  
When there was danger  
They didn´t say, "We´ll be there in half an hour"  
Cause they displayed  
Bender Power!

B-E-N-D-E-R power  
B-E-N-D-E-R power  
B-E-N-D-E-R power  
Teenage Master Ninja Benders

(repeat)

Now our ace Hakoda was hot on the trail  
Determined to kick Fire Nation tail  
Bato spied the bad guys and saw what happened  
But before he knew it, he fell in the trap and lost out  
Yeah he was all alone  
With no friends and no phone  
Now this was beyond his WORST dreams  
Cause he was cornered by some wayward fiends  
Headed by Zuko, they were anything but good  
Misguided, unloved, the prince was a 'hood  
He could terrorize and be an angry youth and  
Needed the Avatar as his proof  
Then from outta the sky came an awesome sound  
Whirling his staff as he hit the ground  
Within monastery walls the heroes rescued the hour  
Cause they possessed  
Bender Power

B-E-N-D-E-R power  
B-E-N-D-E-R power  
B-E-N-D-E-R power  
Teenage Master Ninja Benders  
(repeat)

Power  
When you stand for what you believe in  
And find the strength to do what´s right  
That´s Bender Power

Heroes on a bison they´re on a mission  
When there´s a battle got the enemy wishin'  
That they stayed at home instead of fightin'  
These bendin' Masters with moves like lightnin'  
They were once normal but now they´re movin'  
Pakku and Toph're the teachers, so they are the students  
Katara, Toph, Sokka, Appa and Momo,  
Make up the team with one other fellow  
Avatar Aang  
He´s the leader of the group, transformed from the norm  
At the dawn of his youth  
Knowledge's the food that´s sure to please  
These masters are into Wan Shi Tong's libraries  
Back to the story it´s not hard to find  
Ninjas not just of the body but of the mind  
Those were the words that Roku instructed  
But a letter from Ozai has Iroh abducted  
That was the last straw, spring into action  
Step on old Iroh, now they´re gonna lose traction  
Now this is for real so you fight for justice  
Your shell is hard so you shout, "They can't dust us off  
"Like some old coffee table"  
Since you were born you been willing and able  
To defeat the sneak, protect the weak  
Fight for rights and your freedom to speak  
Now the villain is chillin' so you make a stand  
Back to the wall put your sword in your hand  
Remember the words of your teacher your master  
Evil moves fast but good moves faster  
Than light  
Shining from your illumination  
Good versus Evil equals confrontation  
So when you´re in trouble don´t give in and go sour  
Try to rely on your  
Bender Power

B-E-N-D-E-R power  
B-E-N-D-E-R power  
B-E-N-D-E-R power  
Teenage Master Ninja Benders   
B-E-N-D-E-R power  
B-E-N-D-E-R power  
B-E-N-D-E-R power  
Teenage Master Ninja Benders  
(repeat)  
Power

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AN: Oh yeah, this was made of one-hundred percent concentrated awesome!  
AN: Original Lyrics from : http:// homepage. ntlworld. com/ gary. hart/ lyricsp/ partners. html

"TURTLE POWER" - 28/07/1990  
4 weeks at #1 - 10 weeks on chart  
by 'Partners in Crime', I think they were called...

_AN: Please forgive me, it was the fever that made me do it…_


	17. SM04

**Story Title: Save me  
Chapter: 04  
Author: Moor (or 'beyondthemoor' from LJ)  
Length: approx. 2000 words  
Genre: Humour/General/Romance  
Rating: I'll say PG-13 to T  
Fandom: Avatar: The Last Airbender  
Summary: After taking his leave of Azula, Zuko sets out on his own to find his mother. The reunion is short-lived as Katara and Toph track him down in turn, and ask for his help in rescuing Iroh. However, no one is prepared when Ursa takes charge…  
Disclaimer: I have no ownership of "Avatar".  
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Ursa sat beside Aang on Appa's wide furry head, giving them instructions on where to guide the mammoth beast down while they made their way into the Fire Nation. As his oversize paws touched ground, Toph was the first to slide off and 'look' around to gauge their surroundings.

"I thought we were supposed to be sneaking in?" she asked, "there's a village nearby. I can feel the people hawking cheap stuff in booths on the sides of the road. Aren't we going to get caught?"

"We'll be fine, I just need to nip into the village to make sure we'll blend in; I'll pick up on what's going on and bring back any news I hear about the 'Avatar' and 'Sozin's comet'."

"You probably shouldn't go alone," said Katara in concern to their esteemed guest-cum-leader. "We don't want anything to happen to you."

"I'm sure I'll be fine," repeated Ursa calmly, and her tone reassured the young benders she held no reproach against them for questioning her regal authority. "But, if it will really make you all feel better," she conceded at Katara and Aang's pleading looks. "I don't think everyone should go, though. That's a bit too obvious." Her lovely eyebrow, the original model for Azula's, arched perfectly as she regarded the group. Admittedly, it would be _very_ obvious for them all to go out into the village together. Tourism wasn't exactly a thriving industry in the Fire Nation… and that didn't leave many other options they could borrow for the trip in. Ursa counted noses and brought her hand to her chin, searching for an answer.

"Ok, well, how about Aang and I go with you while Zuko, Sokka, Toph and Kuei stay here?" suggested the water bender, stretching herself out a bit after the long flight. Behind and unbeknownst to her, Sokka and Toph rubbed their hands together and smirked at the suggestion. Zuko, mindful of Toph and Sokka's tag-teaming insult assaults by now, was not giving off an approving glare at these proposed arrangements, though.

Kuei and Bosco meanwhile had joined everyone on the ground and seemed to be enjoying their usual yoga-routine.

"And _warrior_ pose," said Kuei in the sprightly tone of an aerobic instructor. From a few meters away, both he and his bear moved smoothly into the stretch. "Good, Bosco, now watch your breathing, it's time for _downward facing cow-dog_…" (Behind _them_, Momo stood up on his hind legs in Appa's saddle, and both he and their group's furry porter copied the bear's movements.) Between Ursa's influence on the young humans and Kuei's on the animals, their group was in stellar mental and physical condition. A healthier band of stealth-renegades and regime-overturners there never was.

But Ursa wanted to make sure they'd be able to 'blend in' in case they got separated once they crossed into the Fire Nation. They continued re-organising the group's division.

"Uh, maybe Zuko should come, too?" suggested Aang warily after another attempt at leaving the exiled escapee in one area had somehow left him teamed up with Toph and Sokka again. He wasn't convinced the prince would stay on his best behaviour if he wasn't being supervised by his (loving and non-sociopathic) parental unit… and Toph and Sokka put into action whatever trauma was going through their twisted heads.

The earthbender's chuckle was less than reassuring to the air monk; but it seemed to be the impetus needed to convince Ursa her son's place was at her side.

Along with everyone else.

The former Fire Lady smiled at the group as she formed her plan.

As Sokka and Toph teased each other just off to the side, and shot the occasional jab at Zuko, Katara shrugged her shoulders and went to join Aang as he played with Appa and Momo. She turned around just in time to see Ursa brandishing a long line of rope. And felt the tingle of déjà vu creep up her spine upon the firebender's proud smirk and ease of handling of the line…

"I believe you're all experienced in being tied up?" she asked the assembled group easily. "It seems like you've had a lot of adventures, so I'm assuming this won't be as uncomfortable for you all as it would for some others…"

Everyone stood stock still before falling into uneasy murmurs; also, Katara and Zuko pointedly ignored each other, their cheeks heating slightly under the sun. Katara crossed her arms, sniffed, and looked away mumbling something about a scroll, and the prince, for his part, huffed and stubbornly kept his eyes on his mother as if he'd _never_ conceive of tying a lovely water tribe maiden to a tree and extorting her.

"Why do I feel like I'm not going to like this?" asked Toph in a sulky tone as Ursa approached them and started lining them up.

"Raise your arms if you want to be the leader!" called Ursa cheerfully, ignoring their grumbles of apprehension.

* * *

(A short while later, in the village)

"Would you look at that…"

"She's got guts…"

"They look rough, don't they?"

The comments followed them as they marched through the town – their wrists all tied together, and each holding on to the length of rope. Ursa stood at the head and they followed like turtle-ducklings behind her.

"Good day to you, madame," greeted a brave middle-aged man as he sidled up to the noblewoman. "I just wanted to let you know we think you're doing a wonderful job. You must have a great sense of discipline and authority to control that whole group."

"Oh, really, they're quite well behaved, when you've got their attention," she smiled back. "They're good people at heart. Someday they just may save the world. It's always best to give someone a second chance, don't you think?"

"Well, good luck to you, and just let us men know if you need a hand," he offered generously, and gave a threatening look to the group of soon-to-be-saving-the-world-ers. "You lot better listen to your jailer, d'you hear?"

"Yes, sir," they replied in lackluster tones.

Ursa continued walking the group easily through the crowded street; and everyone moved out of the way of the lady-jailer transporting her delinquent charges…

"Well, I think we've learned a lot today, haven't we?" asked Ursa in their code for, _'do we need to keep scouting? I think we've got what we came for'_.

"I could use a bit more time over by the military carriage to discuss possible future careers. Once I'm rehabilitated," added Sokka, in his code for _'let me get closer to that tank over there so I can figure it out a bit more, that way I can dismantle one later if I need to'_.

"I'd love to learn how to drive one of those things, too." Toph was using code for, _'I want to learn how to drive one of those things over Ozai, too'_.

"I'm so glad to hear you kids thinking of the future and how to contribute to its glowing progress," praised Ursa, in their code for, _'Toph, I like your style and will help you take him out in fiery retribution for his sins. Flamey-oh, Toph, flamey-oh'_.

Ursa smiled, positively radiant as she approached the young men and women soldiers lounging against the mega-size peace-maker.

"Excuse me, would you mind if my uh, students, asked some questions about your careers? We're out on good behaviour career-day for reforming juvenile delinquents, and the military is one of those topics they never seem to tire of."

Recruiting was indeed one of the target goals of these fighters, as Ursa had guessed. The soldiers straightened up considerably, and one eagerly started talking about the lifestyle and routines. Katara focused on her, and Sokka engaged another in discussing the gunmetal machine they clung to.

"What about weapons? What can these things do?" asked Toph.

"Oh, they can do plenty of damage," chuckled one of the young men. His ponytail flipped a bit as his shoulders moved rhythmically. He thought Toph was cute. Adorable, really.

"Can they… climb?"

"Yes."

"Can they… shoot things?"

"Yes."

"Can they fly?"

"No."

"Can they shoot flying things?"

He regarded her increasing interest curiously. "Errr…"

"Can you give me a ride?"

"Ooh! Oooh oooh ooh, me first!" Suddenly Sokka whipped around and was trying to wave his hands in the air, and he accidentally hauled Aang up with him as their hands were tied together. The airbender's eyes went wide and he hopped and tried to loosen the brunt of the forceful jar.

"Arms, arms, need arms!" The monks' desperate gasps fell on deaf water-tribe ears. At least, Sokka's deaf ears.

"Sokka, hold on, geez!"

Katara looked at her brother in exasperation and tried to check Aang for damage.

"Wow, they're really enthuasiastic. Would you mind giving them a ride around the square?" asked Ursa. Zuko could have sworn he saw her bat her eyelashes.

The prince, who'd been quiet up until this point, suddenly took on a decidedly ashen colouring. He tried to signal his mother that this was a Very Bad Idea, however she was oblivious. He started getting a very bad feeling...

"Sure! It just may help them make up their minds to join – we're always looking for fresh faces!" enthused the young man who'd been talking with Katara. He smiled at her confidently, and she returned it with a nervous laugh.

"Mom," mumbled Zuko quietly between stiff lips, trying to get her attention. "Mom, I think I should stay here." He tried to sidle up closer to her, but kept getting yanked closer to the weapon-mobile. His heart plummeted into his stomach.

"Ok, is everybody ready to get on?" called another of the soldiers, as each 'student' was lifted in. Ursa didn't hear her son.

"Mom, I don't need to get in the tank. I've already been through this. I'd rather stay here," the prince said meaningfully, pleading with his mother. She smiled at him, misunderstanding him.

"Oh, it's ok, darling, give it a try with your friends. I don't mind waiting here! I'm sure you'll have a great time!" she gave him a vague encouraging pat and helped the nearest soldier heave him up into the cockpit.

"_Mom, please don't make me go!"_ he wanted to beg through his clenched teeth, but refused to show the fear that resonated within him.

"Ok, is everyone tied down?" joked the soldier closest to Toph. The young earthbender meanwhile had both hands and feet firmly planted on the metal.

"Let's go! Let's go! Let's go!" cheered Sokka, hopping in place in excitement.

The pilot strapped on some goggles, started the ignition and shifted the gears, revving the engine a few times to rile up the passengers. He kept one arm around Katara and ignored her look of mild discomfort. "Could you grab that gear right there, honey, and yank real hard on it?" he asked her, and she giggled half-heartedly before doing as he said. A screech of metal rang out and with a shudder, they were off.

"Wheeeeee!" yelled Sokka from inside the tank, and felt the ground roll by beneath the spiked wheels. It could have been polar-bear day at the Water Tribe, he was so pleased with the turn of events.

"Hey, this is actually kinda fun," agreed Aang, peering around. "What does this button do?"

"Oh, that's for the trebuchet," replied the woman beside him.

"What does that lever do?" he asked, pointing in another direction.

"That's our autogiro control."

"Hey! What does this do!?"

"_Wait, Sokka, no, don't touch--!_" Aang, Katara, and especially Zuko, all reached forward simultaneously to stop the impulsive gear-head, but it was too late.

"Oh, it's best that you leave that alone," answered the pilot as he glanced away from Katara, and suddenly realised what Sokka was doing, "that's our speed-control, and within town limits we're supposed to—_oh, Sweet Agni, noooooooooooo!_"

The shrieks and yells emanating from the wild, possibly runaway, vehicle continued long into the afternoon. On the sidewalk, outside the tank that careened and barreled along the boulevard, Ursa waved and sighed wistfully, wishing she were young again…

* * *

AN: Sorry it took so long, but thank you for reading! (Comments, of course, are always appreciated).  
AN: Take care, and Happy Thanksgiving to my fellow Canadians!  
AN: Posted October 8, 2007.


	18. SM05

**Story Title: Save me  
Chapter: 05  
Author: Moor (or 'beyondthemoor' from LJ)  
Length: approx. 1000 words  
Genre: Humour/General/Romance  
Rating: I'll say PG-13 to T  
Fandom: Avatar: The Last Airbender  
Summary: After taking his leave of Azula, Zuko sets out on his own to find his mother. The reunion is short-lived as Katara and Toph track him down in turn, and ask for his help in rescuing Iroh. However, no one is prepared when Ursa takes charge…  
Disclaimer: I have no ownership of "Avatar".  
**

* * *

**  
**

"I'm so glad you kids had such a good time," the former Fire Lady herded her group through the streets back towards their camp site. The scent of oil and burning rubble wafted over them as their leisurely pace led them along the road. ('Fleeing the scene' would have been another apt description.)

The motley group gave a chorus of uneven replies ranging from extreme enthusiasm (Sokka, Toph) to dead silence (Zuko) and they followed Ursa towards the town's borders. They ignored the carnage they were casually departing, while volunteer emergency personnel evacuated the nearer residents.

The tank lay in a smoldering heap embedded in a stone building just out of sight.

They had nearly made it away scot-free, too – until an incredulous voice took them by surprise.

"_Ursa_..?"

Their fearless leader froze.

"Ursa-prom-queen-of-'89? Ursa-dance-queen-machine-of-the-Royal-Fire-Nation-Academy-for-girls? Is that you?"

Immediately concerned at the possibility of discovery, the group automatically formed a defensive circle around the woman in question as she turned to face the speaker, a middle-aged woman with tawny eyes and hair. She had laugh-lines around her eyes and wore comfortable, though noble, clothing. She may have been one of the leaders of the small community town. Her lips made a surprised 'oh' as her former classmate turned to face her, and lit up into a beautiful smile.

Ursa recognized her immediately.

"Jan Yi!" she screamed happily, and the two women rushed forwards and threw their arms around each other.

"Uh oh," muttered Toph, familiar with such scenes from their travels by now. It seemed Katara did it with _everyone_ she'd met before. "I know where this is going..."

"Shh! It's a heartfelt reunion!" admonished Katara, smiling for Ursa's happiness. Her hands were clasped in front of her.

Sokka was leaning more towards Toph's interpretation than Katara's.

"Oh my goodness, it's been so long! How are you doing? I haven't seen you since high school!"

"Here we go…" The earthbender slouched grumpily. She almost wished she could see so she could roll her eyes.

"Toph!" Katara glared at her friend before remembering it was a useless gesture.

"Oh you know, marriage, kids, town rulership, the usual. You?"

"Me, too! Marriage, kids, civil turmoil, oh, and…" Ursa's voice dropped an octave, almost in embarrassment. "Well, I have been… _separated…_ for a few years. But I'm getting back at— _together _with my husband soon. I think I finally understand him, and I think he'll understand me, too, once we face each other."

The other woman nodded and clucked her tongue in sympathy. "I completely understand – men, can't live with 'em, can't live without 'em!" They laughed together, and hugged again, then sighed.

"So, are you in town for long? It's been ages! We should go get a coffee!"

Toph and Sokka made small coughing, negative grunts. Ursa ignored them.

"Well, we really _should_ be on our way…"

Toph and Sokka nodded into their more positive-sounding cough-spasms.

"Oh, Ursa, you _have_ to – when was the last time we saw each other? This way, my treat!"

The pair of delinquents came down with a spontaneous, violent lung-flux.

"Oh, well, if you insist…" she said after a bit more wavering. "Oh all right! Come on, kids!"

The other woman turned to stare, now, at the group, realizing just how many there were. "Oh, my, Ursa – no wonder you left him!" she exclaimed.

A short distance away, Zuko face-palmed himself at the insult to his lineage.

"Uh, Ursa? Is it ok if Katara and I go grab something really quick from the store we just passed? Please?" asked Aang politely. His eyes and face lit up hopefully.

"Of course, go ahead, Aang-darling," the woman could deny nothing to her beloved foster-Avatar. She even patted him on the top of his cap.

"Could we go, too?" piped up Sokka desperately.

Another siren wailed as a third fleet of emergency vehicles screamed past on their way to the tank-wreckage site.

She was resolute. "No. You and Toph are staying with me, young man."

"Do we have t—Yes, ma'am." Sokka almost ducked his head a bit at her glare of disapproval.

Meanwhile, Zuko glanced from the woman to the retreating Avatar. Mom-gossip versus happy-boy and opinion-girl. The fact that he was even debating his decision rendered it all the more humiliating. In the end, his mother decided for him.

"Oh, Zuko, could you stay with me?"

"Coming, mom."

Jan Yi stared in surprise at Zuko, as she had only seen him from his un-scarred profile before. She had assumed the young adults were all adopted, due to their mixed parentage. The tallest of the second generation stood apart from the group, a bit uncomfortable at the attention -- but also because his royal demeanor conveyed his upbringing clearest.

"Oh Ursa, is this really _your_ son? My goodness, he's quite a looker – you must have so much trouble with the girls coming around," she teased, and swatted Zuko on the arm playfully. The prince's surly expression tinted rose, and green. "Actually, he has a bit of Ozai in him, almost. Do you remember him? I heard he was from some branch of the imperial family, but he used to follow you around all the time when we were young, and then run up and pull your hair, or take your writing brush, or —…" She droned on and on. "Darling, what was Zuko like as a little boy? Oh dear me, speaking of young ones and problems, I remember I had no trouble at all potty-training my girls – my goodness it seems so long ago! – but my sons gave me all kinds of trouble. How was Zuko?"

And the end of worlds had come, the true horror started…

…For Zuko...

…when Ursa _answered_.

Which made it practically Mardi Gras for two _other _individuals.

Zuko wondered vaguely if it was too late to make a break for it and join the two departed benders.

The chatty women led the group and they made their way to a nearby tea shop, while Aang and Katara skipped away with a small pouch of money…

* * *

AN: Admit it-- you've all been in this situation when your mom meets up with an 'old friend' she hasn't seen in 'ages'. I came thisclose to putting them in a ladies' undergarment store for this scene, just to make it that much more awkward -- but I think I covered that base when Zuko had his fashion-parade a few chaps ago... (Then again, we all love it when Zuko's uncomfortable... Hmmm... )  
AN: Thank you for reading!  
AN: Next chap's ready in my head, I just need to write it…  
AN: Thanks to all who review – I really appreciate it, and it really motivates me to keep going! (You guys rock!) (Suddenly, all reviews grind to a halt.) Ah, I see now… 


	19. SM06

**Story Title: Save me  
Chapter: 06  
Author: Moor (or 'beyondthemoor' from LJ)  
Length: approx. 2000 words  
Genre: Humour/General/Romance  
Rating: I'll say PG-13 to T  
Fandom: Avatar: The Last Airbender  
Summary: After taking his leave of Azula, Zuko sets out on his own to find his mother. The reunion is short-lived as Katara and Toph track him down in turn, and ask for his help in rescuing Iroh. However, no one is prepared when Ursa takes charge…  
Disclaimer: I have no ownership of "Avatar".  
**

* * *

Two young heads were bent together as they counted their money one last time in their palms, and nodded to themselves, smiling. They turned back up to the shopkeep, who stood behind his counter and fought to keep his impatience at bay while the two had debated what to buy over the past hour. 

"That one…"

"But this one would really suit her…"

"I'm not sure about the colour--."

"What about instead of…" _whisper whisper_ "… we put …" _more whispering_.

"I was thinking more along the lines of …." _Whisper whisper_.

"Well, what do you think?"

"Oh! That would be perfect!"

The slight man rubbed his limp mustache slowly as he again listened to their bickering crescendo to a glorious agreement – it was beginning to sound a lot like progress... for his pocketbook.

"Ok, this one for sure!"

"She'll love it, Aang," assured Katara, patting her friend on the back.

They smiled at each other again one last time and turned to the cheap-looking shopkeep, and pointed to something behind him.

"Could we get that to go, please? With this on it…" He handed over a scrap of paper. The man took a closer look at it. An eyebrow raised.

"You're… sure?"

"Oh yeah, she's gonna love it!" enthused the two young optimists.

"O_kaaaaaaaaaaay_…." Said the man, though he didn't sound convinced. "If you're sure… it'll be done in about 20 minutes, is that ok?"

"We'll just go grab something to eat and be right back," assured Aang, as he took Katara's hand and they dropped the deposit on the table before streaking through the doors giddily to a nearby food stand.

Scratching his head and still looking at the paper, he lifted down the item the pair had chosen and got to work.

* * *

"So? How'd it turn out!" The two burst into the store again. Katara was nearly as exuberant as Aang had been, and crowded the counter, looking around for their treasure. They'd barely been able to wait the 20 minutes before storming back in to check on their gift's progress. The shopkeep sighed as he brought out the just-finished special request. 

"Here it is," his tone was aiming for 'brimming with pride over his latest creation', however was leaning more towards 'please relieve me of this at your earliest convenience; really, I'll pay you to take it off my hands at this point'.

"This is what you wanted, right?" He held up the masterpiece for their appraisal and inspection.

Aang and Katara gasped simultaneously.

The sound was enough to get the businessman's hackles up immediately. "You did pay the deposit, which is non-refundable, and this was a custom order, so I'd like to remind you that you have to pay in cash, and—."

"Nonono, it's perfect!" breathed Aang, awestruck.

"We'll take it!" Katara plopped the rest of the fee on the table. "Oh, and you did the last few things, too, didn't you?"

"… yes, of course…" The man grimaced and handed over the accessories they'd special requested. The tip chinged melodically on the table as they snagged their swag.

"You're the best – thank you!"

They raced away back to the teashop to meet Ursa and company just as they exited…

* * *

(Back at camp as they settled in for the night before the next leg of their trip...) 

"Ursa," said Katara nervously, her cheeks pink and her eyes bright, but shy. "Aang and I, and everyone, we… um… We just want to say 'thank you' for all your help and for joining us!" she rushed out, while Aang hopped forward on a buffet of air and presented the former Fire Lady with the beautifully wrapped parcel.

"Oh, Aang, Katara – and everyone—thank you! I had no idea!" Indeed, the lovely woman looked completely shocked, and her own cheeks flushed with embarrassment and happiness as she accepted the gift. "But you didn't need to get me anything. I'm very happy just to have met you all, and to join you. It isn't everyday you get to meet the people who will save the world, you know," she chuckled, as everyone gathered around by the campfire. She shook the gift cheekily to tease them. "I hope you didn't spend much," she admonished lightly.

"We hope you like it," said Katara, as Ursa carefully undid all the ribbons, ties, and wrappings. The sparkles left trails of glitter in Ursa's lap.

"Katara, if you and Aang chose it, I'm sure I'll…" her voice trailed off uncertainly. Words failed her. Everything failed at the sight of the … gift.

"What? What's going on?" asked Toph into the silence.

"She's speechless," said Sokka emotionally.

"Is it that moving?" she asked incredulously.

"Oh, it's something," he choked out.

"Isn't it great?" cheered Aang, holding it up to Ursa to show everyone else so they got a good, long, look. Ursa, meanwhile, looked like she wanted to move away from it, but had too much grace to offend the poor young man.

"Please tell me that doesn't say what I think it says…" sighed Zuko, still standing with his arms crossed in front of him.

"What _is_ it!" demanded Toph angrily.

"It's a new tunic! We chose it while we were out earlier today."

"It's tye-dyed in different shades of red, so it looks really cool."

"And we had it custom embroidered! In a really fancy font--ok, three fonts, actually."

"It cost us a bit extra, but it was totally worth it!"

"It says, _'Number One Fire Mom!'_ on the front in big gold letters! We'll never lose her, now!"

"Isn't it great!"

Aang and Katara stood together to take in their friends' reactions (and receive their expected praise).

The ground rumbled ominously before popping up in a minor earthquake... almost like an instinctive reactive forcefield, or shield.

"You guys are stupid. I'm going to bed." The prodigal earthbender had bent herself an earthtent, not even bothering to bid the others goodnight. Then she doubled the walls facing Ursa. "Nothing personal, Zuko's mom, but I can sense the tacky from here…"

"Toph! Stop it, you're being rude!"

"Then stop being profane," muttered Sifu Rudeness before she rolled over and started to snore. Loudly. She was hoping the gaudiness would be kept at bay by the noise, apparently.

"Come on, Ursa, how does it look on you?" At Katara's insistence – unrelenting insistence – Ursa pulled her long dark hair out of the way and slid into the unrivaled ugly garment. A weight seemed to pull at her shoulders as she donned it over her clothing.

"How does it look?" she asked. Her face was full of hope, pride, and perhaps slightly selfconsciousness.

Zuko turned away; Sokka smiled weakly; Toph put another blanket beneath herself to dull the vibes.

Aang and Katara positively beamed with pride.

"Perfect! It'll look great as we storm the gates of the Fire Nation palace! Just wait 'til everybody sees you in it – they'll never recognize you!"

"Understatement," muttered one prince. Ursa sent him a pleading look.

"Oh! I almost forgot!" said Katara, reaching into her pouch as the 'din' of 'celebration' died down. "We got matching headbands for everyone to wear, too!"

The walls of Toph's earthtent tripled.

"She must be bending in her sleep again," said Aang, unphased. He tied his headband on proudly.

"If only we were all so lucky," grumbled Zuko as Katara walked up to him to give him his brand of shame. Sokka, meanwhile, was crawling to his own tent, mumbling something about being the only one in the family with any fashion sense.

"Come on, Zuko! It'll look good on you – red's very flattering on your family! And it'll help bring out your eyes… Er, how about I just go sleep over here tonight?" Katara backed away slowly, never taking her eyes off the glaring prince. He didn't appreciate comments being made about his looks – particularly when they related to his eyes, red on his face, and flattery.

"Sleep sounds wonderful, actually," agreed Ursa tiredly, and thanked them all for their thoughtfulness. She stood, turned, and bid them good night as she entered her own tent. She was asleep within a few moments.

Zuko continued glaring at Aang and Katara.

"You did NOT get that for my mother!" he demanded, but the pair shrugged at him before retreating to their own bedrolls for the night.

Zuko wanted to scream. He nearly had, when he'd read what they'd printed on the_ back_ of Ursa's new tunic-jersey.

He prayed she'd never find out.

It was a short-lived prayer.

* * *

"_HOT MAMA?!?!"_ shrieked Ursa in the morning as she changed into her new clothes for the day. She burst from her tent brandishing the jersey and all its tye-dyed, gold-embroidered, tacky glory. _'HOT MAMA'_ was indeed emblazoned across the back. 

"Isn't it perfect!"

"He did that part for us for free! Can you believe it?"

Ursa turned to stare at Aang and Katara, sitting happily together around the campfire as they prepared breakfast for everyone.

"Strangely enough, yes, yes I can…" Sokka rubbed his smarting vision and wished for eye-bleach.

"Do you like it?" piped up Aang enthusiastically. Ursa didn't respond.

The Avatar and his waterbending master looked at each other, then at Ursa… then, less certainly back at each other again.

"You don't like it, do you?" asked the well-meaning girl quietly.

"We thought the red and gold would look really nice; sorry, we didn't think it through, I guess. We didn't realize you might be bored with the Fire Nation royal colours…" They fell silent a moment. Katara almost looked like she might cry.

"… Sorry…" they said in unison, heartbroken their gift had fallen so terribly flat.

Ursa's maternal instincts kicked into high gear. With a vengeance, because vengeance is the only motivation strong enough to compel her to do what she did next.

"Oh kids, no! I love it!" she choked out, desperate to make them feel better. "I was just sad, I, uh, … didn't have a matching headband to go with it like the rest of you!" She felt something curl up inside her and die, horribly. She was almost sure it was her dignity.

"It's ok, we underst--."

"I really mean it!" interrupted Ursa, eyes wide as she grabbed Aang by his shirtfront and hauled him up in front of her to stare him in the face. "GIVE ME A HEADBAND." Sokka's hand popped into view offering his own in sacrifice. "I'm going to wear this shirt for the rest of our trip, and I need to match! _A woman needs accessories, Aang._"

"Really?" Katara's blue eyes held unshed tears of happiness. She was moved by the Fire Lady's resolve. "You really like it?"

"Of course! Now, let's have breakfast!"

As the group settled in again to enjoy the last of their meal, Aang piped up with a final note.

"Yeah, we were thinking of getting you an orange air-nomad cape to go with the new tunic--."

Ursa accidentally spewed forth her porridge over the campfire in a clumpy, awkward arc – and splat onto Zuko.

"--but we thought it'd be too conspicuous," he finished reasonably. "'Cause, you know, we're laying _low_…" He made a smooth gesture before grinning cheesily at her.

Ursa nodded genteelly, raising a handkerchief to Zuko's face to wipe it clean. "Sorry, Zuko honey." She paused, and tilted his head up to hers to look seriously into his eyes in a moment of familial sincerity... and understanding. "I'm so, so sorry…"

"It's ok, Mom," he sighed.

They both knew she didn't mean the porridge.

* * *

**AN: Posted Oct 24 or thereabouts.  
AN: Thanks for reading! If you liked it, please drop a comment. (Concrit is always highly valued, too!)  
AN: Thank you also for your patience -- sorry if I'm a bit out of my groove recently. Forgive me!**


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